connecteddale

strategy tools / Blue Ocean Strategy Canvas

In short

• Identify new market spaces with low competition for growth.
• Can be used for: Entry and Growth Strategies
• The Blue Ocean Strategy Canvas is a strategic tool that helps organizations identify new market spaces, known as blue oceans, where competition is low or non-existent. It consists of a visual framework that compares the competitive factors of a company's offering with those of its competitors in order to highlight areas of differentiation and innovation. By focusing on creating uncontested market space, the Blue Ocean Strategy Canvas enables companies to break away from the constraints of existing industry boundaries and create new demand for their products or services, leading to sustainable growth and profitability.
• Type of tool: Market Positioning
• Expected outcomes:
  • Identification of new market spaces with low or non-existent competition
  • Visual framework for comparing competitive factors with competitors
  • Highlighting areas of differentiation and innovation
  • Breaking away from existing industry boundaries
  • Creating uncontested market space
  • Generating new demand for products or services
  • Sustainable growth and profitability

In detail

The Blue Ocean Strategy Canvas is a powerful strategic tool designed to help organizations navigate the complex landscape of competitive markets and identify new opportunities for growth and innovation. Developed as part of the Blue Ocean Strategy framework, this tool offers a visual framework that enables companies to chart a course towards creating uncontested market spaces, known as blue oceans, where competition is low or non-existent.

At its core, the Blue Ocean Strategy Canvas serves as a roadmap for organizations to differentiate themselves from competitors and achieve a sustainable competitive advantage. By comparing the key competitive factors of a company's offering with those of its rivals, the tool highlights areas where innovation and differentiation can be leveraged to create new demand for products or services.

One of the key objectives of the Blue Ocean Strategy Canvas is to break away from the constraints of existing industry boundaries and traditional market structures. By focusing on areas of differentiation and innovation, companies can carve out new market spaces that are ripe for exploration and growth. This shift towards uncontested market spaces not only allows organizations to escape the cutthroat competition of red oceans but also opens up new avenues for value creation and profitability.

Through the strategic lens of the Blue Ocean Strategy Canvas, companies can identify untapped customer needs and preferences, as well as emerging trends and market dynamics that present opportunities for growth. By aligning their offerings with these unmet needs and market shifts, organizations can position themselves as pioneers in new market spaces, setting the stage for sustainable success and long-term growth.

Moreover, the Blue Ocean Strategy Canvas encourages companies to think creatively and innovatively about their value proposition and business model. By challenging conventional wisdom and industry norms, organizations can uncover unique ways to deliver value to customers and differentiate themselves from competitors. This focus on innovation and value creation not only drives growth but also enhances customer loyalty and brand equity.

In essence, the Blue Ocean Strategy Canvas is a strategic tool that empowers organizations to chart a course towards new market frontiers and unlock untapped opportunities for growth and innovation. By leveraging the principles of differentiation and competitive advantage, companies can position themselves for success in a rapidly evolving business landscape, where the ability to create and capture value in uncontested market spaces is key to sustainable growth and profitability.

How to use it

1. Identify your current market space and competitors in your industry.
2. Create a Blue Ocean Strategy Canvas by drawing a horizontal axis representing key competitive factors and a vertical axis representing the level of offering.
3. Plot your company's current offerings on the canvas, focusing on factors like price, quality, features, and customer service.
4. Research your competitors and plot their offerings on the canvas as well to compare against your own.
5. Identify areas where your company can differentiate itself from competitors by innovating or creating new value propositions.
6. Focus on creating uncontested market space by shifting your strategy towards areas of low or non-existent competition.
7. Use the canvas to visualize how your new strategy will break away from existing industry boundaries and generate new demand for your products or services.
8. Implement your Blue Ocean Strategy by aligning your business activities with the identified areas of differentiation and innovation.
9. Monitor the impact of your Blue Ocean Strategy on sustainable growth and profitability over time.

Pros and Cons

When to Use

Businesses evolve from a simple idea into complex entities that undergo various stages of growth, learning, and adaptation before ultimately reinventing themselves to remain competitive. Throughout these stages, leveraging the right tools can significantly enhance success and efficiency. Below are the typical stages highlighting the stages where this tool will be useful. Click on any business stage to see other tools to include in that stage.

Related Tools

• Blue Ocean Four Action Framework
• Value Curve Analysis