article thumbnail

Unilever’s Big Strategic Bet on the Dollar Shave Club

Harvard Business Review

The scrappy startup, launched in 2012, offered a blades-by-subscription service for as little as $3 a month and quickly grew to a team of 45 engineers and 3.2 And it’s a telling tale about whether the consumer products industry can get a digital business model right. million subscribers.

article thumbnail

Being the World's Largest Ad Agency Might Not Be Something to Brag About

Harvard Business Review

Kaizen, Japanese for "continuous improvement," is Toyota''s self-described business model. And despite some initial apprehension, it worked: Toyota engineers were able to cut down the dinner wait time from 90 minutes to 18 minutes. This delicate balance shouldn''t be taken for granted, however.

article thumbnail

How Software Is Helping Big Companies Dominate

Harvard Business Review

This model, where proprietary software pairs with other strengths to form competitive advantage, is only becoming more common. The business model was to write the software and then sell licenses to publishers. Its primary business model is to create content and sell ads. Architectural Innovation.