
Overall winner:
Accor: Strengthening the Brand with Digital Marketing
The case |
![]() What?Accor is a leading global hotel operator with a portfolio of 14 hospitality brands in 92 countries, ranging from the budget end of the market to luxury. Why?The hospitality business wasn’t getting any easier. Major brands were engaged in hand-to-hand combat for every room night, and emerging competitors such as Airbnb were disrupting the industry.
When?It was early 2015 when Accor decided to take this online venture on. Where?Accor has a worldwide presence, with five product offerings in the economy segment, four in the midscale, four in the upscale and three in the luxury.
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Interested in finding out more? |
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Accor: Strengthening the Brand with Digital Marketing |
The authors |
Jill Avery, Chekitan Dev and Peter O'ConnorJust rewardChekitan opened: “It feels very rewarding winning this award. I have been writing and teaching case studies for over 30 years so am honoured and delighted to have our work recognised by peers.” Flexibility of the case methodPeter said: “I am a true believer in discovery learning, particularly for more senior level students and managers. Thus, I make extensive use of the case method, profiting from the flexibility that it can bring, and the chance it gives to explore the issues of most importance to the particular group with which I am working, as well as highly current issues and priorities. “Having used many excellent cases in the past, I’m glad that I was able to help create something of quality that is appreciated by other teachers.” Case method commitment
“Given the long tradition of the case method of learning at HBS, the School has developed significant support for case writing, by providing formal instruction, individual mentorship, and a robust community of faculty actively experimenting and honing the craft of case writing, case teaching, and the further development of active, discussion-based, participatory learning pedagogies.” The power of a teamJill said: “This was truly a collaborative effort that combined Cheki’s deep hospitality industry knowledge with Peter’s digital disruption expertise and my branding, digital marketing, and marketing strategy focus. For me, collaborating with other professors on case writing injects energy, fresh ideas, and new perspectives on business issues.”
Not just a storyJill explained: “When writing a case, the important thing to remember is that a case is not just a story about a company. Instead, the company and its business dilemmas are the vehicle to establish opportunities for delivering compelling teachable moments for students. “I believe the reason professors are interested in teaching this particular Accor case, and students are eager to learn from it, is that it helps students learn important concepts related to channel relationships, power dynamics among channel partners, and the disintermediating force of digital disruption. “A strong teaching note accompanying a case helps instructors unlock those learning moments by illuminating in-class strategies for eliciting them.” Catering for different audiencesShe concluded: “Because our cases have a truly international audience, one has to be sensitive to write cases in a way that they can be understood by people of different cultures. This requires avoiding culturally-specific references, or thoroughly explaining them if they are critical to the case discussion, so that students from all cultural backgrounds can fully participate in the discussion on equal footing. “Translating cases from English to Spanish, Mandarin, and other languages allows broader access to our cases and brings them into classrooms around the world.” About the authors
Jill Avery is a Senior Lecturer of Business Administration at Harvard Business School.
Chekitan S Dev is a Professor at The Hotel School at Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, Cornell University.
Peter O'Connor is a Professor in the Information Systems, Decision Sciences and Statistics (IDS) Department, and the BNP Paribas Digital Disruption Chair at ESSEC Business School. |