The Harvard Business School Scrutinizes LeBron James

Lady Gaga, Tom Cruise, and the NFL also come under fire.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Right now, a group of students at the Harvard Business School are ripping LeBron James apart. They're questioning his every move—from his decision to sign with Nike to his Decision—and wondering why he's done certain things throughout his career. And, you know what? He loves it. Loves every second of it. That's because King James is just one of the many celebrities being scrutinized by a class at the Harvard Business School called "Strategic Marketing in Creative Industries" and he's lent access to his business-minded team and their ideas to the cause.

"When Harvard Business School approached us for a case, it was a 'wow' moment," says LBJ's business partner, Maverick Carter.

Students in the popular HBS class study celebrities like LBJ, their endorsement deals, and the decisions that they make throughout their careers in order to get a better idea of what each of them did right and wrong to market themselves. Aside from James, Lady Gaga, Maria Sharapova, Tom Cruise, the NFL, and even Radiohead have also been profiled in case studies in the class.

"I'm trying to uncover the common concepts across different creative industries, synthesize the knowledge that exists for one area, and see how it applies to others," says course professor Anita Elberse. "You can look at Lady Gaga and LeBron James and explore what concepts hold true for both...Very often, there is no right or wrong decision. It's much more about the underlying phenomena."

Hard to argue with that. But even she has to agree that dunking on kids isn't good for the cause. Right?

[via Boston Globe]

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