Digital Winners and Losers

February 11, 2020

Read The Full Prompt

Digital technologies are upending many industries and companies. Think about Uber’s impact on the taxi business or Amazon’s impact on retail stores.

For this assignment, we would like you to identify companies/organizations that you think are winning or losing. Just work on either winners or losers. Please focus on just one organization. Tell us why they are a winner or loser. Discuss elements of how they create and/or capture value that is leading you to call them a winner or loser.

Create an approximately 750-word post to make your contribution on digit.hbs.org by 6pm on Feb 11. Please create appropriate tags for your post including if it is a “winner” or “loser.” Please also respond to and comment on three other posts. Feel free to use graphics, data, videos and links to other sites to corroborate your points.

Selected posts will be discussed in class.

Submitted (79)

The Louvre: Winning at Digital Engagement
Joe Tung
Last modified on February 9, 2020 at 7:32 pm
Background Established in 1793, the Musée du Louvre is one of the world’s largest and most visited museums. Despite its age and size, the Louvre has become one of the most forward thinking and digitally innovative museums, resulting in increasing [...]
Monzo: A digital offering that has traditional UK banks scrambling
Colm Farrell
Posted on February 9, 2020 at 2:06 pm
Monzo has positioned themselves as a digital-only alternative to traditional consumer banks. Their use of technology has allowed them to offer greater convenience, transparency and service – all at a lower cost. They’re winning, and they’re likely to continue doing [...]
Venmo – Winning a Larger Share of Consumers Wallet
Robert Alexander
Posted on February 10, 2020 at 4:11 pm
Finally asking ourselves ‘what did we do before Venmo?’ and ‘how does Venmo create value?’
Coursera – Revolutionizing Education For Anyone, Anywhere
DA
Last modified on February 11, 2020 at 11:22 am
As Nelson Mandela once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”Coursera is attempting to do just that by providing “world-class learning for anyone, anywhere”.
Amazon continues to dominate – from bookshelves to refrigerators
HBSstudent0918
Last modified on February 11, 2020 at 6:28 am
Countless times, online grocery delivery has been attempted with little success. It has taken a behemoth like Amazon to finally get it right.
Mercado Libre: a winner in Latin America
Andres Perez
Posted on February 9, 2020 at 6:13 pm
Mercado Libre, the largest online eCommerce ecosystem in Latin America, has disrupted the retail industry. Its innovative business model has positioned the company as a winner in Latin America, which has been reflected in its impressive growth.
Burberry (1856 est.) -164 years old or phoenix in the digital world?
Sneha Biswas
Last modified on February 11, 2020 at 4:44 pm
When even iPhones did not exist - is when Burberry started thinking of Digital Transformation. The journey that this 100+ years old company took is inspiring and tells us what a winner looks like in this world of Digital Darwinism.
Starbucks: Winning on rewards, loyalty, and data
Leah H
Posted on February 9, 2020 at 9:56 am
Starbucks Rewards Program generates customer loyalty, increased revenue, and data for the company to create meaningful 1:1 relationships and personalized marketing efforts.
Allbirds of Prey – From Zero to $1.4B DTC Darling in Five Years
Leo
Posted on February 11, 2020 at 5:27 pm
Allbirds' execution of the eCommerce playbook let the DTC brand soar.
Glossier: Disrupting the Traditional Beauty Industry
A Iglehart
Posted on February 10, 2020 at 9:27 pm
Glossier is a digitally native, direct to consumer company that has utilized digital content and an online community to transform the beauty product development process and reduce marketing costs.
DJI: Winning in consumer drones
Amanda Dong
Last modified on February 9, 2020 at 9:21 pm
DJI Overview: from hobbyist to billion-dollar business When Frank Wang incorporated DJI (Da Jiang Innovations) Co in his dorm room in 2006, the market for unmanned aerial vehicles (commonly known as drones) was limited to a few die-hard hobbyist and [...]
Pandora Media – from winner to loser – and back?
Marius Westhoff
Last modified on February 11, 2020 at 6:04 pm
What went wrong at the once most popular online music streaming service? What did Pandora miss? And is there a chance for a comeback?
Stitch Fix – Fashion’s Most Innovative Retail Company
Cherish Weiler
Posted on February 10, 2020 at 8:25 pm
Stitch Fix, an innovative retail e-commerce company, leverages AI and data science to win in today's retail industry.
Mirror: digital disrupter in fitness and beyond
DJ Song
Last modified on February 11, 2020 at 9:18 am
Mirror looks like a winner. It is disrupting the home fitness landscape and is poised to impact the healthcare, education, and social media landscapes to name a few.
Sephora: A Technology Foundation That’s More Than Skin Deep, and a Digital Success Story That’s More Than Meets the Eye
iBot
Posted on February 11, 2020 at 5:46 pm
Sephora is leading the digital-first revolution in the beauty industry. Is digital a strong foundation, or will the company follow the rest of a retail industry and blush in the face of online pure-plays and Amazon?
Garmin – Getting lost in the changing navigation maze
Bastian P
Posted on February 9, 2020 at 2:07 pm
A look back at the rise and fall of Garmin, formerly the world's leading producer of automotive navigation systems.
SMT: winning by enhancing sports viewership & content with technology
lill janglas
Posted on February 8, 2020 at 3:45 pm
SMT has positioned themselves as media incumbents' solution in the race to keep up with technology for sports broadcasting applications. This strategy has made SMT a winner!
One Medical wins at digital health
GDC
Posted on February 9, 2020 at 11:52 pm
By applying a technology business model to the healthcare industry, One Medical has successfully aligned incentives of different parties to become a clear winner in digital health.
Sephora – Blurring the line between Digital and Physical
trishim11
Last modified on February 11, 2020 at 4:53 pm
The beauty pioneer that reinvented itself and the industry through technology
Fitbit: Weathering the Storm?
Tommy Tom
Posted on February 11, 2020 at 5:56 pm
Fitbit is the incumbent that has failed to innovate quick enough in a growing and changing market
Flexport: Disrupting international freight shipment
C. Xu
Posted on February 9, 2020 at 11:58 am
Flexport is a freight forwarder based out of San Francisco that is digitizing the international freight shipment market. There are a number of reasons why I think they are a #winner in today’s digital world.  
Peloton: Winning the fitness battle, losing the economic war
Choplife
Posted on February 11, 2020 at 4:35 pm
Can Peloton win as a physical and digital product? Will the community aspects of the experience help it to stay afloat? The app might just eat the bike. Read on.
Why Netflix is winning the entertainment battle
Miguel Dysenhaus
Posted on February 11, 2020 at 2:47 pm
Why the rise of Netflix has changed the landscape in the entertainment industry for producers distributors and consumers of content, and what has been Netflix competitive advantage that enabled it to disrupt a 100 year old industry.
Plaid: A $5.3 Billion Winner
Elisa
Posted on February 10, 2020 at 10:21 pm
Visa recently announced plans to acquire Plaid for $5.3 billion dollars. How did this company become one of fintech’s biggest winners in only a few years?
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