Red Ocean Traps Section C
Red Ocean Traps Section C
BLUE OCEAN STRATEGY: Blue ocean strategy is where a company creates a completely new market space
(or market category). This new market space is created by launching new offerings, with the aim being to
make the competition irrelevant so that an organization can grow, uncontested, at least in the beginning.
RED OCEAN TRAPS
Mental models are ingrained assumptions and theories about the way the world works.
It dictates how people respond to changes and events. They are grounded in knowledge
acquired in class room and years of business experience.
Mental models often undermine the efforts of managers in executing market-creating
strategies.
These mental models are thought of as red ocean traps, because they effectively
anchors managers in red oceans and prevent them from entering blue oceans.
TRAP 1: SEEING MARKET CREATING STRATEGIES
AS
CUSTOMER-ORIENTED APPROACHES
E.g. Delta Airlines ‘song’ targeted too narrow a segment of fliers - stylish professional women – and
didn’t last.
It is “DESEGMENTATION” that creates new markets by focusing on commonalities rather than
differences.
E.g. Pret A Manager thrived by “DE segmenting” different customer groups-figuring out what they had
in common – to create a new marketplace.
Trap 3: Confusing Technology Innovation
with
Market-Creating Strategies
The approaches or strategies presented as the red ocean traps are not
wrong or bad. They all serve important purposes. A customer focus, for
example, can improve products and services, and technology innovation
is a key input for market development and economic growth. Likewise,
differentiation or low cost is an effective competitive strategy. What
these approaches are not, however is the path to successful market-
creating strategies.