The battle of superheroes: the rise of the knowledge platform strategy in the movie industry

Purpose – Over the past years – because of the huge impact of companies such as Airbnb and Uber – the concept of the platform became extremely popular in the business world. Still, the concept of the platform has been evolving for a long time in the management field, from internal platforms (like the famous case of Sony Walkman) to industry-wide platforms (like the case of computers with external software developers), up to transaction and two or multi-sided platforms (such as Airbnb and all the companies with a similar business model). Platforms are often considered disruptors in several industries, from accommodations to mobility to entertainment. Still, the disruptors in the creative world usually deal with the way in which they distribute content (Netflix or Spotify), rather than with the content itself. The purpose of this paper is to understand if and how platforms trategies can also be used in the creative industries. Design/methodology/approach – This paper digs into the movie industry, studying the three most successful Superheroes sagas of the past two decades as follows: the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), DC Comics and X-Men using a narrative approach. The three sagas are studied through network analysis to understand their ‘‘platform approach’’. Findings – The results show how platform strategies are relevant also in creative industries – defining the concept of ‘‘knowledge platform strategy’’ – and how they have a significant impact in terms of market performance. The MCU builds on a common knowledge through the various movies that enable the chance to rely on many of the platforms’ characteristics emerging from the literature. Research limitations/implications – This research extends the concept of ‘‘platforms,’’ relying on the three kinds of platform defined in the managerial literature and introducing the ‘‘knowledge platform strategy’’ for creative industries. The main contribution is related to the extension of platforms in research fields where it has not been exploited. This opens up avenues for research both from a knowledge platform and creative industries perspectives. Practical implications – Managers, working not only in creative industries but also in industries where a common knowledge basis may be leveraged to develop new products over time, may use the concept of ‘‘knowledge platform strategy’’ to rethink the new development process or knowledge management from a customer perspective. Originality/value – This study explores a mature and relevant concept – the platforms – in a new filed, the creative industries using the case of Superheroes sagas, proposing a new perspective to explain the success of MCU while proposing a new platform strategy.