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TEACHING MATERIALS

Blue ocean pedagogical materials, used in nearly 3,000 universities and in almost every country in the world, go beyond the standard case-based method. Our multimedia cases and interactive exercises are designed to help you build a deeper​ understanding of key blue ocean concepts, from blue ocean strategy to nondisruptive creation, developed by world-renowned professors Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne. Currently, with over 20 Harvard bestselling cases.

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COMIC RELIEF

Reinventing Fundraising Charity: The Enduring Success of Red Nose Day

Author(s): KIM, W. Chan, MAUBORGNE, Renée, PIPINO, Melanie

Case study trailer

Abstract

When Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day started in the UK, the charity industry was a deep red ocean. Competition was intense and growing, costs were up, and donations were down. Yet Red Nose Day rapidly achieved 96% national brand awareness. Fast forward 30+ years, Comic Relief has raised more than £1 billion, has become something of a British institution and has no credible imitators. In this case you’ll learn, how Comic Relief leapfrogged existing fundraising charities and emerged as one of the most distinctive charities in the UK that also enjoys the lowest costs. Find out how Comic Relief redefined the industry problem and engaged everyone to do something funny for charitable giving and how it sustained its blue ocean for over 30 years with exponential growth and no credible imitator. The case comes with a teaching note and a compelling video that highlights and literally shows what makes Red Nose Day so different from other charities while simultaneously allowing it to achieve the lowest cost structure.

Teaching Objectives:

  • The case allows us to see how an organization can achieve rapid growth in a declining and highly competitive industry when it defies the conventional industry practices. 
  • This case explains how the alignment of the value, profit, and people propositions around both differentiation and low cost builds a sustainable advantage and makes a blue ocean strategic move very difficult to imitate. 
  • It illustrates the central importance of noncustomers as a way to gain insights into how to create new demand and generate new growth.