United we thrive: How The Guardian Media Group returned to the black

Publication Type

Case

Publication Date

7-2020

Abstract

Almost three-and-a-half years after a turnaround strategy for the UK-based loss-making Guardian Media Group (GMG) was launched, it had finally managed to stem its losses. Key to the successful turnaround was a culture of openness, which was exemplified by how it allowed its partners to reuse its online content provided they carried its advertising, and its groundbreaking efforts to bring citizen journalism to the fore. The case examines how GMG built an ecosystem that flew in the face of conventional wisdom by providing content for free and working with supposed rivals, yet enabled it to boost its earnings in the process. This case can be used in a business models and innovation course. Students who have examined the case should be able to achieve the following learning objectives: analyse how The Guardian has adapted to disruptions caused by technological change, articulate how The Guardian benefited from the ecosystem approach, examine how The Guardian’s partners contributed to its success, and also how they were persuaded about the benefits of its ecosystem.

Keyword(s)

Adaptive innovation, Newspaper publishing, Content management, Advertising management, Marketing channels, Turnaround strategies, Change agents, Business model innovation

Discipline

Advertising and Promotion Management | Business Administration, Management, and Operations | Public Relations and Advertising | Strategic Management Policy

Research Areas

Operations Management

Data Source

Published Sources

Industry

Newspaper publishing

Geographic Coverage

United Kingdom

Temporal Coverage

2019

Education Level

Executive Education; Postgraduate; Undergraduate

Publisher

Singapore Management University

Case ID

SMU-20-0016

Comments

SMU Faculty/Staff can download the case and teaching note with your SMU login ID and Password via the following links:

For purchase of the case and supplementary materials via The CMP Shop, please access the following links:

For purchase of the case and supplementary materials via The Case Centre, please access the following links:

For purchase of the case and supplementary materials via Harvard Business Publishing, please access the following links:

Additional URL

https://cmp.smu.edu.sg/case/4456

Link to Full Text

Share

COinS