Eckhart Consulting 2016 Case Competition

2 Table of Contents Overview Case Competition Overview Client and Sponsor Overview Case Question

3 What is a case competition? Overview The case competition offers an opportunity for college students, a client, and professional consultants to work together Small undergraduate teams work to advance in the competition by proposing creative and data-driven recommendations that assist the client and are consistent with basic consulting principles The case competition offers a unique way for the client to generate new ideas, better understand customers, and evaluate existing products The client benefits from increased exposure in the Midwestern region by participating in a case competition with professional consultants and students at the University of Chicago

4 Schedule Wed, April 27 th, 8:00 pm Bain Office Hours (Kent 107) Consultants from Bain & Co and senior Eckhart Consulting members will be on campus to provide feedback and directional support April 25 th, 7:30 pm Information Session Students learn about the client and the case early in the week Fri, April 29 th, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm First Round (On Campus) Students present initial recommendations to Booth MBA students. Top teams advance to the final round and receive feedback the same day. Minimum of 2 members present Mon, May 2 nd, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm Final Round (Bain Office) Students present final recommendations to Pitchfork representatives and Bain consultants. The winner is chosen based on the quality of recommendations, the use of data and logical thinking, and the feasibility of implementation. Minimum of 3 members present Overview

5 Evaluating Your Case Overview  Identify the most promising ideas – and tell us why they’re promising  What makes something “most promising?”  Needs to be substantive and implementable  Substantive  Your solution should be creative, original, and solve the problem  You should prove to your judges that it meets these criteria. Support your recommendation with argument and evidence.  Implementable  Your solution should be cost-effective, realistic, and time-sensitive  Bear in mind any friction your recommendation may have  How can you ease this friction?  Ultimately, the idea has to work, has to be supported, and has to be doable How will your case responses be evaluated?

6 Evaluating Your Team and Presentation Overview  Narrative  Be sure to layout your presentation such that the narrative is easy to follow  The easier it is for your judges to follow your logic, the more likely it is that they will agree with your recommendations  Poise and Presence  The easier it is to understand you, the easier it will be to follow your arguments  Be calm and speak slowly!  Formatting  The easier it is to read your slides, the easier it is to follow your arguments  Every slide should have one argument or main takeaway  Keep formatting consistencies in mind to decrease the work your audience must to put in to engage How will your presentations be evaluated?

7 Case Suggestions and Considerations Overview  Consider the “whole problem.”  What are the causes of an issue rather than simply it’s symptoms?  How does one attack the root of the matter to make a positive impact?  You are attempting to solve the problem from the clients’ point of view  Make sure your ideas are actionable, creative, and reasonable Strategy Tips  Do’s  Take the time to consider every point of view  Take the time to argue against your own solution, where are its pitfalls?  Don'ts  Assume your recommendation is intuitive  Ignore the foundations to your arguments Do’s and Don’ts

8 Table of Contents Client and Sponsor Overview Case Competition Overview Client and Sponsor Overview Case Question + Client Presentation

9 Our Client: Pitchfork Media Client and Sponsor Overview  Pitchfork Media is a Chicago-based music review publication devoted to music journalism, news, album reviews, and feature stories  Pitchfork has been credited with breaking dozens of artists, providing the critical avenue between music fans and artists – both prominent and as-yet-undiscovered  Impact:  A large online presence with over 10 million unique monthly visitors  A long form, print magazine called the Review  An annual music festival in Chicago Thanks to Pitchfork Media for engaging in this year’s competition!

10 Our Sponsor: Bain & Co Client and Sponsor Overview  Bain & Co. is a global management consulting firm with an office here in Chicago  Management consulting is the practice of helping organizations to improve their performance  Consulting firms are able in improve operations through growth strategy, data analysis, and reduction of internal friction Thanks to Bain & Co for sponsoring and judging this year’s competition!

11 Table of Contents Case Question Case Competition Overview Client and Sponsor Overview Case Question

12 The Question Case Question The Pitchfork Review is a luxury print publication showcasing long-form exploration of music history, a product that stands in stark contrast to Pitchfork's core product, rapid bursts of data on the current state of music. How do we convert Pitchfork's online readership to quarterly readership? Main Question 1.How do we boost our subscriber base? 2.How do we retain subscribers? 3.How do we find the intersection of the festival audience and quarterly reader? How to exploit that? Subscriptions Questions 1.How do we leverage existing and potential Pitchfork elements to increase domestic distribution? 2.What is our retail market and how do we find success there? 3.How to break into non-U.S. markets? Distribution Questions 1.Shipping costs for this product are high 2.Manufacturing costs for this product are high 3.Quality for this product is high Manufacturing Notes Supporting Questions and Considerations

13 Q&A and Resources Case Question  Tonight  Ask questions to clarify the case!  Office Hours  Wednesday from 8:00 pm ~ 9:00 pm with Bain consultants  ing Eckhart Representatives  Mike Liu   Tom Healy   James Sweeney  Questions? Resources: