What It's About

OVER 4 MILLION COPIES SOLDWALL STREET JOURNAL AND BUSINESSWEEK BESTSELLERRECOGNIZED AS ONE OF THE MOST ICONIC AND IMPACTFUL STRATEGY BOOKS EVER WRITTEN

The global phenomenon that has sold over 4 million copies, is published in a record-breaking 49 languages and is a bestseller across five continents—now updated and expanded with new content. Named by Fast Company as one of the most influential leadership books in its Leadership Hall of Fame. A strategy classic.

In this perennial bestseller, embraced by organizations and industries worldwide, globally preeminent management thinkers W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne challenge everything you thought you knew about the requirements for strategic success. Recognized as one of the most iconic and impactful strategy books ever written, BLUE OCEAN STRATEGY, now updated with fresh content from the authors, argues that cutthroat competition results in nothing but a bloody red ocean of rivals fighting over a shrinking profit pool. Based on a study of 150 strategic moves (spanning more than 100 years across 30 industries), the authors argue that lasting success comes not from battling competitors but from creating "blue oceans"—untapped new market spaces ripe for growth.

BLUE OCEAN STRATEGY presents a systematic approach to making the competition irrelevant and outlines principles and tools any organization can use to create and capture their own blue oceans. This expanded edition includes:

• A new preface by the authors: Help! My Ocean Is Turning Red
• Updates on all cases and examples in the book, bringing their stories up to the present time
• Two new chapters and an expanded third one—Alignment, Renewal, and Red Ocean Traps—that address the most pressing questions readers have asked over the past 10 years

A landmark work that upends traditional thinking about strategy, this bestselling book charts a bold new path to winning the future. Consider this your guide to creating uncontested market space—and making the competition irrelevant.

To learn more about the power of BLUE OCEAN STRATEGY, visit blueoceanstrategy.com. There you'll find all the resources you need—from ideas in practice and cases from government and private industry, to teaching materials, mobile apps, real-time updates, and tips and tools to help you make your blue ocean journey a success.

Notes

What’s in it for me ? Conquer uncontested market space.

Every business asks themselves the same question, how can we beat out the competition? And almost every business comes up with the same answer. We need to become bigger, better and faster to outperform our rivals.

But what if your business didn't have to beat the competition because there wasn't any? What if you could enjoy unlimited growth without worrying about limited demand? This isn't some idle fantasy, but a strategic approach that a handful of successful businesses have already made reality.

Escape your competition by setting sail to a blue ocean.

These are businesses that rise fast, grow uncontested and seem to play by their own rules. So what are they doing differently? Well, instead of fighting over scraps in Red Oceans, these businesses navigate uncharted territory, Blue Oceans.

You can think of Blue Oceans as all the markets we haven't yet discovered, for products and services that don't yet exist. Demand isn't limited because demand isn't there. It has yet to be created. But this isn't a handicap. It's an opportunity. Because if the size of your market isn't limited, neither are your growth and profits.

In Blue Oceans, the water isn't bloodied by cutthroat competition. It's deep, clear and full of undiscovered potential. The Blue Ocean strategy gives you the methodology and tools to conquer such uncontested markets. The basic tenet is this. It's true that the space in a certain industry might be limited. But who's to say that a business can't create an entirely new industry?

Lower your costs and differentiate yourself.

There are thousands of other businesses that have successfully implemented a blue ocean strategy. Companies like Ford, Nintendo, Netflix, Nespresso, Yellowtail, Southwest Airlines and even The Body Shop.

In red oceans, industries that are already established, everyone plays by agreed rules. Not so long ago, these rules might have looked something like this. Movies can be bought or rented. Wine needs to have an air of sophistication. Air travel is expensive. But in blue oceans, none of these rules apply. Blue oceans are actively shaped by the actions of the industry players who create them.

If your company keeps addressing these four factors – that's raise, eliminate, reduce and create – it will stay one step ahead of the competition at all times.

Final Summary

Rather than competing for limited market space, successful businesses often capture new markets with unlimited potential. They're discovered by raising, eliminating, reducing and creating industry factors in a way that lowers costs and sets your business apart from the competition.

Stop swimming with the sharks and set sail!