Learning to Play in the New Share Economy
EXPERIENCE
hbr.org
Case Study
Susan Fournier is a professor of marketing at Boston University. Giana M.
Eckhardt is a professor of marketing at Royal Holloway, University of London.
Fleura Bardhi is a professor of marketing at City University London.
Can an auto rental company fully integrate its car-sharing start-up without losing customers? by Susan Fournier, Giana M. Eckhardt, and
Fleura Bardhi
The Experts
Marc McCabe, product and business development lead, Airbnb
Illustration: Antony Hare
Andre Haddad, CEO of RelayRides
HBR’s fictionalized case studies present dilemmas faced by leaders in real companies and offer solutions from experts. This one is based on the case study “Acquiring Zipcar:
Brand Building in the Share Economy,” by Susan
Fournier, Giana Eckhardt, and Fleura Bardhi
(Boston University School of Management, 2012).
Learning to
Play in the
New “Share
Economy”
H
enry Beyer walked up to a Mini Cooper in the city parking lot across the street from his office in downtown
Houston. He waved his brand-new VillageCar card near the door handle and got in.
“It looks like someone left something behind,” his colleague Tony Cummins said, reaching into the back and picking up a pair of socks. He laughed; Henry grimaced.
The two were executives at Beacon Car
Rental, one of the industry’s most established and respected firms. Henry was the senior vice president of operations. Tony, the chief marketing officer, had suggested taking a drive so that they could talk about
Beacon’s latest acquisition—VillageCar. He knew that Henry would be making the call on how to integrate the car-sharing company, and he wanted to bend Henry’s ear about it.
“Have you ever been in one of these things? I thought we weren’t going to fit,”
Henry said, looking around the inside of the Mini. Both men were more than six feet tall.
Tony admitted that the car was a strange place to meet. “But I wanted to talk with you,” he explained. For the past five years, Henry had led the
hbr.org
Case Study
Susan Fournier is a professor of marketing at Boston University. Giana M.
Eckhardt is a professor of marketing at Royal Holloway, University of London.
Fleura Bardhi is a professor of marketing at City University London.
Can an auto rental company fully integrate its car-sharing start-up without losing customers? by Susan Fournier, Giana M. Eckhardt, and
Fleura Bardhi
The Experts
Marc McCabe, product and business development lead, Airbnb
Illustration: Antony Hare
Andre Haddad, CEO of RelayRides
HBR’s fictionalized case studies present dilemmas faced by leaders in real companies and offer solutions from experts. This one is based on the case study “Acquiring Zipcar:
Brand Building in the Share Economy,” by Susan
Fournier, Giana Eckhardt, and Fleura Bardhi
(Boston University School of Management, 2012).
Learning to
Play in the
New “Share
Economy”
H
enry Beyer walked up to a Mini Cooper in the city parking lot across the street from his office in downtown
Houston. He waved his brand-new VillageCar card near the door handle and got in.
“It looks like someone left something behind,” his colleague Tony Cummins said, reaching into the back and picking up a pair of socks. He laughed; Henry grimaced.
The two were executives at Beacon Car
Rental, one of the industry’s most established and respected firms. Henry was the senior vice president of operations. Tony, the chief marketing officer, had suggested taking a drive so that they could talk about
Beacon’s latest acquisition—VillageCar. He knew that Henry would be making the call on how to integrate the car-sharing company, and he wanted to bend Henry’s ear about it.
“Have you ever been in one of these things? I thought we weren’t going to fit,”
Henry said, looking around the inside of the Mini. Both men were more than six feet tall.
Tony admitted that the car was a strange place to meet. “But I wanted to talk with you,” he explained. For the past five years, Henry had led the