Fall Semester 2022
Bus 530: Business Research Method
Section: 03
Submitted By:
Sakibul Kamal 2225245660
Md. Junayed Hasan 2225417660
Ashak Anowar 2225354660
Submitted To:
HOW MARVEL Dr. Mohammad Nazmul Hossain
Adjunct Faculty, School of Business &
Economics
NEARLY WENT BUST North South University
Introduction
History of Comic Books
Comics book is a part of the entertainment industry. Comics are a type of story books which
described stories based on visuals. The idea of comics was from the ancient era example
Egyptian hieroglyphs, Greek friezes, and Maya script based on art from those times people
express the story. In early printed material, the bible was designed with different images with
text. In the 17th and 18th centuries when prints began also starts occasionally printing artwork and
visual stories with images. “The Glasgow Looking Glass” was the first published magazine with
illustrations in 1826. Later, in 1867 first weekly comic feature in the British humour magazine
“Judy” was named “Ally Sloper’s Half Holiday. Later, this story was featured by the Dalziel
brothers and was mass popular with general or working people. In the United States, comics start
early 19s, in 1842 U.S. published “The Adventure of Obadiah Old Buck” by Rodolphe Topffers.
After that comic characters became national celebrities. In 1934 the true comics book was
independently published U.S. newspaper. From (1938-1956) Described as the golden age of
comic books because of the new characters of superheroes. During World War ii, superheroes
and talking animals were the most popular in comic books. DC comics introduced modern
versions of superheroes in the silver age (1956-1970). In the modern age of comics redesigning
the characters, larger publishing houses became introduced. (wikipedia, 2022)
Marvel
Marvel comics popular comic book publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment
LLC formerly known as Marvel enterprise. Marvel started its journey 83 years ago in 1939 under
the name Timely publication. The founder of marvel was martin goodman in New York, USA.
In 1933 Martin started with the famous comic “Western” and taking initiative to expand its
business. Human Torch was created by Carl Burgos. It was the first fictional appearing comic
book in the USA published by Timely in 1939. Later, Bill Everett created “Namor the Sub-
Mariner” along with other features. About 900000 copies selling record in the following month.
In 1941 Joe Simon and Jack Kirby created the superhero Captain America which was a proven
hit by selling one million copies. Timely came up with many successful superhero characters in
comics including Whizzer, Miss America, Destroyer also the most well-known comic
“Powerhouse Pepper” and the animal-taking characters Supper Rabbit and the duo Ziggy pig and
Silly seal. Goodman appointed Stanley Lieber later known as “Stan Lee”. When editor Mr.
Simon left in 1941, stan lee was interim editor of comics. But after the world war, super comics
became a downfall and timely stopped production. In 1951 Goodman changed timely
publication to ATLAS Comics operates publications mostly with new genres of Horror,
Adventure, Drama, and Romantic titles and distribution. In 1953 Goodman try to return
superhero comics but failed. Superheroes became again successful when DC Comics re-
introduced its superheroes. In 1960 Goodman changed publication to Marvel comics. Stan Lee
introduced the superhero team whose name was the “Fantastic Four”. Stan Lee come up with
different superheroes series, he wrote and introduce different characters including Hulk,
Spiderman, Black Panther, Thor, captain marvel etc. with artists Jack Kirby and Steve Ditka. In
1968 Goodman sold marvel comics and its parent company to Perfect Film and Chemical But
remain the publisher. In 1972 Goodman retired and his son Chip became the owner of the
publication. Later, lee succeed the publisher and became Marvel’s president. Marvel became top
in the comics industry in 1984. In 1986 Marvel comics were sold to the New World Picture
market named Marvel Entertainment Group. After 3 years Marvel sold to New Word
Entertainment is owned by Revlon and the executive was Ronald Perlman. In 1997 Toy Biz
owners bought Marvel and named it after Marvel enterprises. In 2009 Walt Disney acquire
Marvel Comics’ parent corporation Marvel Entertainment. It is now a popular film and
entertainment-based company. In 2017 Marvel has a 38.3% of share in the comics market
whereas DC Comics has a 33.93% of share. According to Statista, in April 2022 the market share
of Marvel Comics was 38.8% in the United States. DC Comics is in 2 nd position the market share
of quarter 2022 is 24.3%. Marvel is now focused on creating movies, publishing books, Tv
Shows, Games etc. (Wikipedia, 2022)
What’s Wrong with the company?
Marvel went through a downfall in 1996, there were several reasons behind it which are
discussed below:
1950 Anti-comic Movement
1950 was the golden era of comic books. But in 1950 it’s a growing movement against violence
and gore in comic books. According to the comic code, there was no permitted use of vampire or
drug issues in a comic book. As a result, content reduces significantly, comic industry printed
limited content copy for their customer.
Competitiveness:
DC comics was starting its superhero series in the early 1930s and got immense success. Mr.
Goodman inspired by DC comics planned its publication and introduced its first superhero comic
Human Torch. Later, Marvel introduces more superhero series to compete with DC comics. But
Dc comic individual characters were more popular. Because Marvel’s superheroes had three-
dimensional characters. In fantastic four or other comics, superheroes work together but the
characters don’t like each other, and Some superheroes quit the team. Because of immense
success, customer demand increased, and they want more stories. The company increased
production but with less content quality of comics.
Ronald Perlman Era
Ron Pearlman was the executive of New World Entertainment. Marvel was named Marvel
Entertainment group in 1986 which was sold to New World Entertainment in 1989. Perlman was
not emotionally connected with the comic books industry. He was more focused on its business.
So, the creative editor, and writer were very nervous about his presence. Perlman started to
follow his marketing strategy. He introduced comics as collection items rather than their inherent
value. Marvel started making special comics cover which cost equal to 32 pages of comic books
which cost increased from $15 to $95. But surprisingly it works, marvel’s made selling record. In
1991 marvel went public offering valued at $3 billion. Perlman’s marketing team act like dictate
they pressure to feature more superhero in a different store. Customers want to buy all
collections of a superhero, so sales also increased. But Perlman was not happy about 68% of the
market share. He continuously increased production; marvel was featured in about 40 titles in a
month. As a result, significantly decrease because the content and quality of the comic book
were not up to the mark.
Pricing
The customer wanted their full set of superheroes collection. Perlman and its marketing team
focused on special subsequent collections. Price increased 4 times, and the guy who collects a
special edition series cannot be able to continue to purchase the new edition. Special edition sales
decrease by 20%, customer tries Gramick and exclusive comics.
Creative crises
The marketing division started to dictate the office. The marketing division pressurized the editor
to work according to their direction. So, there was a conflict between the editors and the
marketing division. In 1992 many talented and creative editors left Marvel. Because they thought
they want to say more about the story. They join either a rival company or create their
production. They were nostalgic but they could not do anything. Marvel’s market share
decreased to 35% and its stock price decreased to $2 from $35.
Distribution System
Marvel also faces distribution system problems. Marvel supplies huge comic books to their
retailer. But the retail shop did not refund its unsold comic books. So, marvel would not know
what the actual amount is sold. The researchers found about 400000 copies of books
oversupplied in the market.
How did they overcome the challenges?
Marvel Comics' commercial success is undoubtedly a lesson from which C-suits of all
experience levels can benefit and take inspiration. The Maintain Solid Goals team researched and
identified eight challenges Marvel had to overcome to become the beloved and well-known
entertainment powerhouse they are today.
1 The Marvel Comic's launching in the depression era: In such a cultural setting,
Goodman correctly assessed that individuals most needed a way to escape. They desired a
vibrant, dynamic, and exciting story. It seems to sense that the Human Torch, a lighthearted
crime fighter, and the Sub-Mariner, a man-half-fish, were the first two superheroes to appear in
Goodman's comic books. The first issue of Marvel Comics instantly gained popularity and
introduced the company globally.
2. Competitive advantage: Goodman decided to wager on the character traits.
Characteristics displayed by the Sub-Mariner and the Human Torch would later become typical
of many other Marvel heroes. They represented their target market by being edgy, youthful folks
who spoke slang. This was a welcome change in a field dominated by moral role models like
Superman.
3. Expressing the writers' position on the political issues of World War
II: Martin Goodman established his own business, Timely Publications, following the popularity
of the initial problems. He was always looking for exciting superhero stories and characters.
Goodman was always worried about the threat of Hitler's Germany and the US' early neutrality
in World War II.
That is how he used Timely Publications' writings to express his political ideas. The characters
from current comics first had to fight the Nazis. Then, in 1941, Goodman added Captain
America, who is still one of Marvel's most well-liked superheroes, taking this concept further.
The initial release was a great hit, selling perhaps around a million copies.
4. Fending off public hysteria: The comic book industry was the target of "witch-
hunting" in the middle of the 1950s. Several groups claimed that comic books harmed society.
The Subcommittee to Investigate Juvenile Delinquency was established to determine if comic
books lead to teenage violence. Books were burned in public, businesses were boycotted, and
many comic creators were driven out of business.
Goodman and his newly-funded Atlas News Company banded together with other publishers
who had weathered the crisis to stay in operation. Together, they created the Comics Code
Authority and the Comics Magazine Association of America. The latter served as a censorship
panel to approve new comic books and ensure their offensiveness.
5. Creative crisis: The business of Goodman had several issues at once in the late
1950s. His company's disorganized operations started to cost him money. Distributors refused to
stock new comic books because of the general slump in the industry. Most importantly, Marvel's
characters and stories seemed to run in circles; a new direction was needed.
All of that changed in 1961. The story says that as Martin Goodman and a DC representative
were playing golf, the DC representative continued to brag about the success of their most recent
endeavor, Justice League. They claim that Goodman found the concept of a superhero team
appealing, and shortly after that, Marvel unveiled its team of characters—The Fantastic Four.
Instead of the previously prevalent emphasis on intricate plots, the new series concentrated on
the heroes' deep characters and interactions. It should go without saying that The Fantastic Four
was an instant success and put Marvel back on the right track.
6. Dealing with the comic code aftermath: Marvel's company prospered throughout
the 1960s due to the emergence of several popular characters, such as The Fantastic Four, The
Incredible Hulk, Spider-Man, etc. However, the comic book boom ended by 1969, and sales
started to decline. The corporation experienced a period of turmoil as a result, and many veterans
left its ranks.
New editors and executives introduced a new perspective. They viewed the Comic Code as an
old-fashioned set of guidelines that, by this point, had only served to produce drabber stories. As
a result, even if the Code's board rejected a few anti-drugs Spider-Man issues, Marvel
nonetheless released them.
Many restrictions were later lifted as a result of this action. Comic comics now contain a wide
range of previously taboo subjects and characters, such as vampires and horror themes.
Affirmative action was also pushed in Marvel's storylines, with more characters of color and
powerful women appearing. Critics praised the invention, which once more assisted Marvel in
resolving the crisis.
7. Ronald Perelman era: Marvel's commercial success in the late 1980s caught the
attention of the financial community, specifically a businessman named Ronald Perelman. In
1989, he acquired Marvel Entertainment Group and began implementing his corporate strategy.
This includes the company's initial public offering, Perelman buying a variety of other
entertainment businesses, and instigating a bubble in comic book collecting by enticing readers
to buy several copies of the same issues.
The boom burst in 1993. Marvel's stock value dropped from $35.75 per share to $2.375 in three
years. The declining quality and rising prices of comic books are driving away an increasing
number of readers. Whether Ronald Perelman's choices or a systemic collapse were to blame is
still up for debate, but something had to happen immediately.
Carl Icahn and the other Marvel shareholders started a power war with Perelman. They sought to
cut back on spending while preventing further share values decline. In response, Perelman
declared bankruptcy. However, this did not help him because, in 1998, both he and (strangely
enough) his competitor Icahn were removed from office.
8. The big-screen endeavors: Marvel had challenges adapting comic books for the
big screen. Some of its most popular properties, like Spider-Man, had their rights sold out or
entangled in legal tangles. They received a very modest portion of the revenue from blockbuster
films like Blade or X-Men. And the studio's initial efforts, like Howard the Duck, fell short.
Everything changed when Marvel struck a contract with Wall Street company Merrill Lynch to
gain access to $525 million of their budget. Marvel provided some of its most well-known
characters, including Captain America and Thor, as collateral in exchange. Shortly after, Marvel
revealed that Iron Man, their first independent film, was in development, making the risky
transaction profitable. As you likely already know, the film brought in $585 million, launching
the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The remainder is history.
What more would you do if you were the decision maker?
In this Marvel case, they face many challenges and overcome them. But they can do more things
to achieve business success. If I were the decision maker of Marvel, I would do the following
items for business success:
1. This is essential since it has been shown that the popularity of Marvel's iconic characters
has helped the company's other items sell, like hotcakes. Marvel's prospects of a
successful character campaign and strong demand for items based on these characters rise
with increasing knowledge of the company's newest characters due to the utilization of
movies. Marvel goods are becoming more widely known; therefore, marketing efforts
should target customers everywhere, adapting promotions and commercials as needed for
various global locations. Social marketing techniques may be taken into account when
doing this.
2. Marvel must concentrate on getting more active in its movie and toy production sides by
investing in capital assets such as manufacturing factories and film studios as part of its
value chain operations. Marvel's expertise in both fields will allow the business to
improve revenues that were before lost as a result of contracts with external
manufacturers and movie studios.
3. However, Marvel must still grant license rights to other businesses. As a result, Marvel
won't have to make as big of an investment or assume as much risk, and the company
will still benefit from various royalties. Due to licensees' great desire for the Marvel
brand, this will also be easy to implement.
4. Additionally, it would be impossible for Marvel to directly produce all of the Marvel
products already on the market due to the little investment this option entails in the value
chain process. Former workers at these companies will need to be retrained and educated
to be more aware of Marvel's methods and aim if investments are made by buying present
manufacturers and studios.
References
wikipedia. (2022, 12 22). Retrieved from wikipedia organization: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comics
Wikipedia. (2022, 12 22) Retrieved from wikipedia organization:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvel_Comics
