To Combat Piracy, VIZ Media Made Its Content Available to Fans for Free

The EVP and CMO shares how the unthinkable approach resulted in increased mainline sales

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It’s quite possible that alumni of stellar brands such as Lexus, Mattel, Warner and DreamWorks have seen Brad Woods’ work up close. Always looking for more innovative challenges, the now-executive vice president and CMO of VIZ Media has taken on the world of Japanese manga to push him even further.

But with very passionate fan bases and a continually growing community for the genre, issues may arise that could impact business models, such as piracy. A worldwide problem for sure, but Brad shares the story of how he and his team at VIZ Media took a complete 180, doing what many fear would cannibalize their business.

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