Magazine Publisher

Case Study Prompt

A major magazine publisher (not unlike Time Warner) is thinking about publishing a “Sunday supplement” for insertion in and distribution through metropolitan newspapers. 

There are currently two major Sunday Supplements: Parade and U.S. Weekly. They are distributed in over 90% of the newspapers (combined). A newspaper can only insert and distribute one Sunday Supplement. They are offered to the newspapers free-of-charge.

They have hired you to determine if they should proceed or not.

Lay out a structure for solving this problem.

Case Study Overview

This Strategy& case study practice example will give you the opportunity to flex your market growth skills. Your client is considering publishing a Sunday insert and has come to you seeking advice about whether or not this is a profitable idea for them. How would you structure this case to give them the best advice and perspective?

While we recommend using the Market Study (market entry) Framework to solve this case study practice example, we don’t recommend stopping there. Take your business experience and use it to come up with a new, creative approach to this particular case. The most highly sought after candidates know how to use the frameworks but have the skill to bring their own twist to them.

There are no math exhibits in this case. This a beginner level case interview with a qualitative difficulty score of 2 out of 4. This case study practice example is ideal for a first round interview at Strategy&.

Strategy& Interview Tips

What does Strategy& look for in its case interview candidates? Creative problem solving skills and the ability to innovate on the spot.

For this reason, make sure you bring your problem solving A-game to your interview.

In this case, focus on a couple of things:

1. Time yourself as you walk through the case (2min to build structure and 2min to present it; 2min each for a brainstorming question; 2min for final recommendation)
2. Focus on finding one area you work on next time. .

For out-loud practice with an expert, book an hour with an ex-MBB coach.