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Even a Clown Can Do It (B): Cirque du Soleil Recreates Live Entertainment

Published 01 Mar 2002
Reference 4999
Topic Strategy
Industry Entertainment
Region Global
Length 7 page(s)
popular
Prizes & Awards

2023 The Case Centre Best-selling Classic Case in the Category 'Strategy and General Management'

This case is amongst the top 50 most popular cases in the 50 years history of The Case Centre – 1973-2023

2022 The Case Centre Best-selling Classic Case in the Category 'Strategy and General Management'

2021 The Case Centre Best-selling Classic Case in the Category 'Strategy and General Management'

2020 The Case Centre Best-selling Classic Case in the Category 'Strategy and General Management'

2018 The Case Centre Best-selling Case in the Category 'Strategy and General Management'

2016 The Case Centre Best-selling Case in the Category 'Strategy and General Management'

2015 The Case Centre Best-selling Case in the Category 'Strategy and General Management'

2014 The Case Centre Best-selling Case in the Category 'Strategy and General Management'

2013 The Case Centre Best-selling Case in the Category 'Strategy and General Management'

2012 The Case Centre Best-selling Case in the Category 'Strategy and General Management'

2010 The Case Centre Best-selling Case in the Category 'Strategy and General Management'

2009 The Case Centre Best-selling Case in the Category 'Strategy and General Management'

2008 The Case Centre Best-selling Case in the Category 'Strategy and General Management'

Winner of the Case Centre Awards and Competitions 2008 in the Category 'Strategy and General Management'

2007 The Case Centre Best-selling Case in the Category 'Strategy and General Management'

2006 The Case Centre Best-selling Case in the Category 'Strategy and General Management'

2005 The Case Centre Best-selling Case in the Category 'Strategy and General Management'

Summary

This is the second of a two-case series. Cirque du Soleil very successfully entered a structurally unattractive circus industry. It was able to reinvent the industry and created a new market space by challenging the conventional assumptions about how to compete. It value innovated by shifting the buyer group from children (end-users of the traditional circus) to adults (purchasers of the traditional circus), drawing upon the distinctive strengths of other alternative industries, such as the theatre, Broadway shows and the opera, to offer a totally new set of utilities to more mature and higher spending customers. The case series is designed to serve a variety of purposes in the value innovation and creating new market space teaching module of an MBA strategy course or executive education programme. The case series can be equally used individually in a standalone module on value innovation or as part of a sequence of three to four sessions. In both instances, the instructor can best use it to cover the following topics: (1) the value innovation logic (as compared to industry and competitive analysis); (2) the concept of value curve; and (3) the six paths analysis for creating new market space. A video called 'The Evolution of the Circus Industry' is available for free faculty download at www.blueoceanstrategy.com.

Teaching objectives

The case series is designed to serve a variety of purposes in the value innovation and creating new market space teaching module of an MBA strategy course or executive education programme. The case series can be equally used individually in a standalone module on value innovation or as part of a sequence of three to four sessions. In both instances, the instructor can best use it to cover the following topics: (1) value innovation logic (as compared to industry and competitive analysis); (2) the concept of value curve; and (3) the six paths analysis for creating new market space. A teaching note is available to accompany this cases series. A video clip free for instructor download is available at www.blueoceanstrategy.com.

Keywords
  • Circus and live entertainment industry
  • Value Innovation
  • Strategy
  • Blue Ocean Strategy
  • Creating new market space
  • Redefining industry boundaries
  • Competition