| Company | Revenue Model | Strategy | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hulu | Subscription Model | Offers ad-supported and ad-free subscription plans for streaming TV shows and movies. | Gained a large subscriber base, providing steady recurring revenue. |
| Adobe Creative Cloud | Subscription Model | Charges a monthly or annual subscription fee for access to its suite of creative software tools. | Transitioned successfully from a one-time purchase model to a recurring revenue model, increasing customer lifetime value. |
| The New York Times | Subscription Model | Provides digital content behind a paywall with subscription options for readers. | Increased digital subscriptions significantly, offsetting declines in print revenue. |
| Blue Apron | Subscription Model | Delivers meal kit subscriptions to customers for cooking at home. | Created a loyal customer base with recurring revenue from subscriptions. |
| YouTube | Advertising Model | Earns revenue through ads displayed on user-generated videos. | Became a major revenue generator for Google, leveraging vast user-generated content. |
| Advertising Model | Displays sponsored tweets and ads in users’ timelines. | Monetized its platform effectively through targeted advertising. | |
| Advertising Model | Features sponsored posts and ads in users’ feeds and stories. | Grew into a significant advertising platform for Facebook, attracting major brands. | |
| BuzzFeed | Advertising Model | Generates ad revenue from sponsored content and native advertising. | Built a sustainable revenue model through innovative content and advertising partnerships. |
| Walmart | E-commerce Model | Sells a wide range of products through its online store. | Expanded its brick-and-mortar presence with a strong online retail component, increasing overall sales. |
| Alibaba | E-commerce Model | Operates online marketplaces connecting buyers and sellers globally. | Became a dominant global e-commerce player with significant transaction volumes. |
| Zappos | E-commerce Model | Specializes in online shoe and clothing retail. | Achieved strong sales growth and customer loyalty through excellent service and a wide product selection. |
| Etsy | E-commerce Model | Provides a platform for artisans and crafters to sell handmade and vintage items. | Grew into a major e-commerce platform for unique and handmade goods, supporting small businesses globally. |
| Evernote | Freemium Model | Offers basic note-taking services for free and charges for premium features. | Built a large user base with free offerings, converting a significant portion to paid plans. |
| LinkedIn Premium | Freemium Model | Provides enhanced features, networking tools, and job insights for paying subscribers. | Monetized its professional network effectively through tiered subscription services. |
| Mailchimp | Freemium Model | Offers free email marketing services with premium plans for advanced features. | Attracted a wide range of small businesses and entrepreneurs, growing revenue through premium subscriptions. |
| Zoom | Freemium Model | Provides video conferencing services with a free plan and premium options for businesses. | Gained rapid adoption during the COVID-19 pandemic, converting free users to paid plans. |
| Airbnb | Pay-per-Use Model | Charges hosts and guests fees for booking accommodations. | Became a global leader in the short-term rental market with significant transaction volumes. |
| Amazon Kindle Store | Pay-per-Use Model | Sells e-books and charges per book download. | Expanded Amazon’s digital content offerings, generating significant revenue from e-book sales. |
| ZipRecruiter | Pay-per-Use Model | Charges employers based on the number of job postings and candidates contacted. | Built a successful job marketplace with scalable revenue based on usage. |
| Lime | Pay-per-Use Model | Offers electric scooters and bikes for rent on a per-minute basis. | Became a leading player in the micro-mobility market, generating revenue through high-frequency usage. |
| Pixar | Licensing Model | Licenses its characters and content for use in merchandise, theme parks, and more. | Generated substantial revenue from licensing agreements across various industries. |
| Marvel | Licensing Model | Licenses its superhero characters for use in movies, toys, and video games. | Built a highly profitable business through extensive licensing deals. |
| NFL | Licensing Model | Licenses its brand for merchandise, video games, and broadcasting rights. | Created a significant revenue stream through strategic licensing and media partnerships. |
| Coca-Cola | Licensing Model | Licenses its beverage formulas to bottlers and distributors worldwide. | Maintained global market leadership through a vast network of licensing agreements. |
| Amazon Associates | Affiliate Marketing Model | Allows website owners to earn a commission on sales of Amazon products. | Created a powerful affiliate program that drives traffic and sales to Amazon’s platform. |
| TripAdvisor | Affiliate Marketing Model | Earns commissions for referring travelers to hotels, flights, and restaurants. | Became a major travel site through effective affiliate partnerships. |
| Booking.com Affiliate Partner Program | Affiliate Marketing Model | Offers commissions to partners who drive hotel bookings through their websites. | Expanded its reach and bookings significantly through affiliate marketing. |
| Rakuten Advertising | Affiliate Marketing Model | Connects advertisers with affiliate publishers to promote products and earn commissions. | Grew into a leading affiliate marketing network with a broad range of partnerships. |
| Hertz | Rental Model | Provides car rentals for individuals and businesses on a daily or weekly basis. | Built a successful global car rental business with steady recurring revenue. |
| HomeAway | Rental Model | Allows property owners to rent vacation homes and properties to travelers. | Became a leading vacation rental platform with significant transaction volumes. |
| Rent the Runway | Rental Model | Offers clothing and accessory rentals for special occasions or everyday wear. | Created a popular fashion rental service with recurring revenue from memberships. |
| GameFly | Rental Model | Rents video games to subscribers for gaming consoles. | Built a loyal customer base with a subscription model for game rentals. |
| GoFundMe | Crowdsourcing Model | Allows individuals and organizations to raise funds for various personal and charitable causes. | Became a leading crowdfunding platform with a significant volume of campaigns. |
| Kickstarter | Crowdsourcing Model | Helps creators fund creative projects and products through contributions from backers. | Enabled the launch of numerous successful projects through effective crowdfunding. |
| Indiegogo | Crowdsourcing Model | Supports crowdfunding campaigns for tech gadgets, films, and other projects. | Facilitated the funding and success of diverse projects across various industries. |
| Kiva | Crowdsourcing Model | Facilitates microloans to entrepreneurs in developing countries through crowdsourced lending. | Created a sustainable model for microfinance and social impact. |
| Subway | Franchise Model | Offers franchise opportunities for individuals to open and operate sandwich shops. | Expanded globally through a successful franchise model, becoming a leading fast-food chain. |
| McDonald’s | Franchise Model | Grants franchisees the right to operate McDonald’s restaurants using its brand and systems. | Built one of the most recognized and successful global fast-food chains. |
| 7-Eleven | Franchise Model | Allows franchisees to operate convenience stores under the 7-Eleven brand. | Grew into a leading global convenience store chain through franchising. |
| UPS Store | Franchise Model | Offers franchise ownership for local shipping and printing businesses. | Created a widespread network of franchise locations offering shipping and printing services. |
| McKinsey & Company | Consulting and Services Model | Provides management consulting services to businesses, governments, and organizations. | Became a leading global consulting firm with high-profile clients and projects. |
| Deloitte | Consulting and Services Model | Offers a wide range of consulting, auditing, and advisory services. | Grew into one of the “Big Four” accounting firms with diverse service offerings. |
| Accenture | Consulting and Services Model | Specializes in strategy, consulting, digital, technology, and operations services. | Became a leading global consulting firm with extensive industry expertise. |
| Boston Consulting Group (BCG) | Consulting and Services Model | Delivers management and business strategy consulting to clients. | Built a strong reputation and client base as a top global consulting firm. |
| Nielsen | Data Monetization Model | Collects TV viewership data and consumer insights, selling reports to media companies and advertisers. | Became a leading provider of media and consumer research data. |
| Palantir | Data Monetization Model | Develops data analytics software for government and corporate clients. | Built a successful business through advanced data analytics solutions. |
| Experian | Data Monetization Model | Offers credit reporting and consumer data services to businesses for marketing and risk management. | Grew into a major credit reporting agency with diverse data services. |
| Acxiom | Data Monetization Model | Provides data-driven marketing and advertising solutions to brands and marketers. | Became a leading data services provider for marketing and advertising. |
| Ticketmaster | Event Ticketing Model | Sells tickets for live events, concerts, sports, and theater performances. | Became a dominant player in the event ticketing industry. |
| StubHub | Event Ticketing Model | Facilitates the resale of tickets for sports, music, and entertainment events. | Grew into a leading ticket resale platform with significant transaction volumes. |
| Eventim | Event Ticketing Model | Offers ticket sales, marketing, and distribution services for events and concerts. | Became a major ticketing service provider in Europe. |
| Ticketfly | Event Ticketing Model | Provides ticketing and marketing solutions for live events and music venues. | Built a successful business offering ticketing and marketing for live events. |
| Epic Games | Gaming Model | Develops and monetizes video games like Fortnite through in-game purchases. | Became a leading game developer with significant revenue from in-game purchases. |
| Roblox Corporation | Gaming Model | Offers a platform for user-generated games and virtual items with in-game currency. | Grew into a major gaming platform with a large, active user base. |
| Electronic Arts (EA) | Gaming Model | Sells game titles and offers in-game purchases for additional content. | Built a strong portfolio of popular game titles with recurring revenue from in-game purchases. |
| Supercell | Gaming Model | Monetizes mobile games like Clash of Clans through in-app purchases. | Became a leading mobile game developer with significant revenue from in-app purchases. |
| Coursera | Education Model | Offers online courses and degrees, charging students for certificates and premium content. | Grew into a major online education platform with diverse course offerings. |
| Duolingo Plus | Education Model | Provides language learning courses with an ad-free experience for paying users. | Built a large user base and significant revenue through premium subscriptions. |
| MasterClass | Education Model | Features online courses taught by experts in various fields, available through a subscription. | Became a popular online learning platform with high-profile instructors. |
| Khan Academy Kids | Education Model | Offers a subscription-based app for educational activities and games for children. | Created a successful educational app with a growing subscriber base. |
| UnitedHealth Group | Healthcare Model | Provides health insurance plans to individuals and employers, collecting premiums. | Became one of the largest health insurance providers in the United States. |
| Teladoc Health | Healthcare Model | Charges for telehealth consultations and virtual healthcare services. | Grew into a leading telehealth provider with significant market share. |
| Ro (formerly Roman) | Healthcare Model | Offers online healthcare services and subscriptions for medications. | Built a successful online healthcare platform with recurring revenue from subscriptions. |
| Healthgrades | Healthcare Model | Generates revenue from healthcare providers and advertisers for premium listings and ads. | Became a leading provider of healthcare provider information and advertising services. |
| Getty Images | Content Licensing Model | Licenses stock photos, videos, and music to media organizations, advertisers, and creatives. | Grew into a major provider of stock imagery and media content. |
| Shutterstock | Content Licensing Model | Offers licenses for stock photos, illustrations, and videos for various creative projects. | Built a strong business in stock imagery and media content licensing. |
| Adobe Stock | Content Licensing Model | Provides stock assets for use in creative projects, available to Adobe Creative Cloud subscribers. | Expanded Adobe’s creative offerings with a robust stock asset library. |
| Pond5 | Content Licensing Model | Sells licenses for stock footage, music, and sound effects to content creators and businesses. | Became a popular platform for licensing diverse media content. |
From The Business Engineer’s Issue.
Other Key Components of a Business Model







Other Revenue Model Case Studies










Read Also: Amazon Business Model, Google Business Model, Netflix Business Model, Airbnb Business Model, Spotify Business Model, Dropbox Business Model.
Other business resources:
- What Is Business Model Innovation
- What Is a Business Model
- What Is A Heuristic
- What Is Bounded Rationality
- What Is Business Development
- What Is Business Strategy
- What is Blitzscaling
- What Is a Value Proposition
- What Is a Lean Startup Canvas
- What Is Market Segmentation
- What Is a Marketing Strategy
- What is Growth Hacking






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