Christopher Vollmer
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Articles by Christopher Vollmer
The Super Bowl reveals a dangerous gap in corporate strategy Original
This year’s Super Bowl highlighted a striking reality: companies are willing to spend record sums for cultural relevance they often lack the organizational capability to sustain. With viewership projected to rival last year’s 127-plus million U.S. audience, yesterday’s Super Bowl LX reinforced the event’s unrivaled power to concentrate mass attention as the Seahawks and Patriots took the field and Bad Bunny delivered a halftime performance engineered to dominate global conversation.
2026 World Cup Marketing Tactics for U.S. Brands Ready to Get Serious About Soccer
The world’s biggest sporting event of 2026 will be a home game for U.S. marketers. The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off in June across 11 U.S. cities—among them Los Angeles, New York, Dallas, and Miami—plus locations in Canada and Mexico. With more nations (48, up from 32) and more games (104, up from 64) than the last time the tournament was played in 2022, it will be the largest and most global World Cup ever.
Christopher Vollmer
Christopher Vollmer is managing director at MediaLink and partner at UTA. Voice Brands have a rare opportunity—if they’re willing to think outside the box.
2026 World Cup Marketing Tactics for U.S. Brands Ready to Get Serious About Soccer
The world's biggest sporting event of 2026 will be a home game for U.S. marketers. The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off in June across 11 U.S. cities-among them Los Angeles, New York, Dallas, and Miami-plus locations in Canada and Mexico. With more nations (48, up from 32) and more games (104, up from 64) than the last time the tournament was played in 2022, it will be the largest and most global World Cup ever.
Celtics Sale Shows Media’s New Pot of Gold: Sports Teams as Mega-Brands
When the Boston Celtics were sold for $6.1 billion last month — to William Chisholm, managing partner of private equity firm Symphony Technology Group, and a consortium that included global investment firm Sixth Street as well as Boston-based executives Robert Hale and Bruce A. Beal Jr. — it was a record for a U.S. sports franchise. The investment underscores a powerful, undeniable trend: Major sports franchises are no longer just teams.
Celtics Sale Shows Media’s New Pot of Gold: Sports Teams as Mega-Brands
When the Boston Celtics were sold for $6.1 billion last month — to William Chisholm, managing partner of private equity firm Symphony Technology Group, and a consortium that included global investment firm Sixth Street as well as Boston-based executives Robert Hale and Bruce A. Beal Jr. — it was a record for a U.S. sports franchise. The investment underscores a powerful, undeniable trend: Major sports franchises are no longer just teams.
The Revenue Stream Revolution in Entertainment and Media
Developing new sources of income is a vital strategic imperative. Digitization has permanently reshaped the global entertainment and media (E&M) ecosystem. Content has become more immersive and available on demand. Digital platforms have proliferated, creating more direct and personalized distribution. The competition for user engagement and spending has never been more brutal. All these developments have significantly disrupted the flow of E&M revenues.
Oath CEO Tim Armstrong Believes in the Promise of the Mobile Consumer
A version of this article appeared in the Autumn 2018 issue of strategy+business. Tim Armstrong works in an open-plan office that sits at an extremely busy and often cacophonous intersection near Union Square in Manhattan. As the CEO of Oath, the unit of telecommunications giant Verizon that houses AOL, Yahoo, and the Huffington Post, among other brands, Armstrong is a key player in — and theoretician of — the convergence of content, mobile communications, and advertising.
The Revenue Stream Revolution in Entertainment and Media
Digitization has permanently reshaped the global entertainment and media (E&M) ecosystem. Content has become more immersive and available on demand. Digital platforms have proliferated, creating more direct and personalized distribution. The competition for user engagement and spending has never been more brutal. All these developments have significantly disrupted the flow of E&M revenues.
Oath CEO Tim Armstrong Believes in the Promise of the Mobile Consumer
A version of this article appeared in the Autumn 2018 issue of strategy+business. Tim Armstrong works in an open-plan office that sits at an extremely busy and often cacophonous intersection near Union Square in Manhattan. As the CEO of Oath, the unit of telecommunications giant Verizon that houses AOL, Yahoo, and the Huffington Post, among other brands, Armstrong is a key player in — and theoretician of — the convergence of content, mobile communications, and advertising.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver Has a Game Plan
Adam Silver is one of the longest-tenured team members in the National Basketball Association. But he doesn’t spend much time on the court. In more than 26 years, Silver, who briefly practiced law before joining the league in 1992, worked his way up from a role player into a key architect of the league’s expansive and successful strategy. In an age of cord cutting, constant distraction, and rapidly changing media and sports habits, professional basketball has bucked many trends.
Put Yourself In Your Customer's Shoes To Disrupt Your Own Business
Ever wonder what digital disruption looks like up close? Take a peek at the tourism industry in major cities around the world. Instead of staying with established hotel brands like Hilton and Starwood, consumers are finding lodging via homeshare sites like Airbnb, Homeaway, or 9flats.com. Roughly 120,000 people stayed in Airbnb-rented rooms in Brazil during the World Cup.
The day screens replaced offices: The leadership agenda for marketing and media executives navigating a “stay at home” world
Due to the coronavirus outbreak, the marketing and media environment is now dramatically different than a few weeks ago, and marketers need new assumptions to navigate the near-term future. Data management Marketing in a recession Crisis management United States Talent, skills, HR Strategy Let’s cut to the chase. The first “fifteen days to slow the spread” have ended, and we are now in phase two. We are still in uncharted territory.
Oath CEO Tim Armstrong Believes in the Promise of the Mobile Consumer
A version of this article appeared in the Autumn 2018 issue of strategy+business. Tim Armstrong works in an open-plan office that sits at an extremely busy and often cacophonous intersection near Union Square in Manhattan. As the CEO of Oath, the unit of telecommunications giant Verizon that houses AOL, Yahoo, and the Huffington Post, among other brands, Armstrong is a key player in — and theoretician of — the convergence of content, mobile communications, and advertising.
5 key capabilities for new revenue streams
Making money through one, two, maybe three revenue streams may once have been a viable strategy, but for most Entertainment and Media (E&M) companies today, it's about as relevant as a fax machine. Digitization has permanently reshaped the global E&M ecosystem. A proliferation of digital platforms has created more direct and personalized distribution, while content has become increasingly immersive and available on demand. Competition for user engagement and spending is fierce.
How Journaling Can Boost Your Leadership Skills, Why the NBA Favors Legalized Sports Betting, and More
For established firms, acquiring a digital startup comes with promise and pitfalls. Today's digital technology is changing the marketing landscape with each blink of the eye. Learn how to reach digitally savvy audiences, build deep customer relationships, and influence the digital path to purchase with Columbia Business School's brand and digital marketing expert David Rogers. Find out more.
The Revenue Stream Revolution in Entertainment and Media
Digitization has permanently reshaped the global entertainment and media (E&M) ecosystem. Content has become more immersive and available on demand. Digital platforms have proliferated, creating more direct and personalized distribution. The competition for user engagement and spending has never been more brutal. All these developments have significantly disrupted the flow of E&M revenues.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver Has a Game Plan
Adam Silver is one of the longest-tenured team members in the National Basketball Association. But he doesn’t spend much time on the court. In more than 26 years, Silver, who briefly practiced law before joining the league in 1992, worked his way up from a role player into a key architect of the league’s expansive and successful strategy. In an age of cord cutting, constant distraction, and rapidly changing media and sports habits, professional basketball has bucked many trends.
2017 Entertainment and Media Trends
Distribution As user behavior and content consumption — especially among younger users — trend more toward social media, mobile devices, and streaming, E&M companies have to adapt to ensure they are building and strengthening their fan bases. For many players, this means developing powerful owned and operated showcase destinations, and designing experiences on partner platforms that grow and deepen the fan base. E&M companies can take some pointers from luxury brands.
How to Make Entertainment and Media Businesses “Fan”-tastic
A version of this article appeared in the Summer 2017 issue of strategy+business. To promote Mr. Robot, a dystopian video series about hacker culture on the USA Network starring Christian Slater, NBCUniversal recognized it needed a new playbook for audience development that went well beyond linear TV. To forge a passionate following of tech-savvy millennials, it created original content for Facebook Live, Reddit, Snapchat, YouTube, and Twitch, Amazon’s platform for gamers.
Perspectives: PwC
Curtain up! Entertainment and media companies have been accustomed to competing and creating differentiation primarily based on two dimensions: content and distribution. Now they must focus more intensely on a third: user experience. And as user experience takes centre stage, companies must develop strategies that engage, grow, and monetise their most valuable customers. by Deborah Bothun and Christopher Vollmer
The Marketer’s Dilemma
Massive shifts are afoot in media and marketing. Sectors that didn’t exist a few years ago — social media, native advertising, and in-app advertising, to name a few — now compete for user and marketer attention. Adults in the U.S. spend about 25 percent of their 12 hours of daily media consumption on a mobile device. With the growth of mobile viewing and multitasking, watching video is no longer a television-centric experience.
The Marketer’s Dilemma
To stay relevant, all participants in the vast marketing ecosystem must develop new capabilities. by Christopher Vollmer, Kristina Bennin, and Deborah Bothun Massive shifts are afoot in media and marketing. Sectors that didn’t exist a few years ago — social media, native advertising, and in-app advertising, to name a few — now compete for user and marketer attention. Adults in the U.S. spend about 25 percent of their 12 hours of daily media consumption on a mobile device.
In the Age of the Apple Watch, Smartphones Are (for Now) the Ultimate Wearable
Do we really need an Apple Watch? That’s a bold question considering the overwhelmingly positive initial response garnered by Apple’s newest offering. But a quick scan of leading tech discussion boards shows that many consumers are wrestling with the true utility and value of an Apple Watch or any other smart watch, such as the Samsung Galaxy Gear or the Motorola Moto 360, for that matter.
Mix and Deliver: The Next Step for Drinks Apps?
With the craze for craft brewing and mixology, and thanks in part to pop culture phenomenon Mad Men, there’s almost nothing cooler these days than a friend who can whip up a perfect batch of Manhattans at a dinner party. Pick a publication or website of any major spirits brand — Pernod Ricard’s Entreprendre or Diageo’s thebar.com, for example — and you get a wealth of craft cocktail-related content.
How Digital Leaders Outperform Their Peers
One of the big global technology stories this year is the expanding divide between the digital haves and have-nots. As the World Economic Forum’s new Global Information Technology Report 2015 highlights, the full benefits of technology are only available in countries that have embraced digital technology for the vast majority of their citizens. There’s a similar digital dichotomy playing out in the corporate world too.
Five Rules for Strategic Partnerships in a Digital World
by Christopher A.H. Vollmer and Matt Egol Partnerships have always been a critical strategy for businesses looking to grow in unfamiliar markets, tap new customer segments, or sell additional products or services. Too bad, because in today's hypercompetitive, hyper-connected marketplace, partnerships [...].See the full story at Forbes
Five Rules for Strategic Partnerships in a Digital World
Partnerships have always been a critical strategy for businesses looking to grow in unfamiliar markets, tap new customer segments, or sell additional products or services. They have also always been notoriously tricky to make work. Too bad, because in today’s hypercompetitive, hyper-connected marketplace, partnerships have taken on even greater strategic importance and complexity.
Five Rules for Strategic Partnerships in a Digital World
Partnerships have always been a critical strategy for businesses looking to grow in unfamiliar markets, tap new customer segments, or sell additional products or services. They have also always been notoriously tricky to make work. Too bad, because in today’s hypercompetitive, hyper-connected marketplace, partnerships have taken on even greater strategic importance and complexity.
Can Media Firms Become Digital Video Mavens?
Traditional entertainment companies are buying up new multichannel networks in pursuit of online audiences. Each month, YouTube draws 1 billion unique visitors who watch a combined total of more than 6 billion hours of video. Attracted by this massive user base, which is equal to 40 percent of the worldwide online population, a new breed of company—the multichannel network (MCN)—has emerged in recent years.
Apple Makes a Smart Bet on Beats
Apple's acquisition of Beats Electronics—the headphone company cofounded by music mogul and legendary rapper Dr. Dre—turned heads in Silicon Valley, the entertainment industry, and on Wall Street. While many of Apple’s deals generate headlines, this one is about more than celebrity-driven hype. Apple is buying a company that has a similar ethos: It puts consumers and the quality of their experience at the center of every business decision.
Reimagine Your Enterprise
What does it mean to become a digital leader? Companies in every industry are looking for answers to this question. They are exploring new business models, developing new user experiences, and experimenting with new channels and platforms—all with the strategic goal of creating significant value in a digitally powered business environment. To get there, most of these companies are pursuing the same laundry list of initiatives.
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