Blue ocean strategy
Escaping head-to-head competition by redefining the offer until the market has no direct rival - creating uncontested 'blue' water instead of fighting in the bloody red. Built on value innovation: raise and create what buyers value, eliminate and reduce what the industry over-serves. Inspiring as a lens, rare as an outcome.
Where it's used
Used in strategy workshops and new business development. Good for questioning what the industry takes for granted, even when the outcome is only a sharper position.
Example
The book's lead case
Cirque du SoleilCircuses were shrinking and fighting over star performers and animal acts. Cirque du Soleil removed both of those costs, kept the tent and the acrobats, and added theatre's storylines and music. It then sold tickets at theatre prices to adults who had never considered a circus. It stopped competing with other circuses altogether.