Blue Ocean Strategy: How to stick out in a crowd

Blue Ocean Strategy: How to stick out in a crowd

For major product and service categories, commoditization seems inevitable….In overcrowded industries, differentiating brands becomes harder in both economic upturns and downturns. (Blue Ocean Strategy, p. 8)

During your early years in school you probably just wanted to blend-in -- to be part of the crowd. However, in order to achieve business success you must fundamentally change this view. In fact, a key facet of Blue Ocean Strategy is differentiation, especially in conjunction with the pursuit of lower costs. So, what methods are companies using to defy conventional wisdom, differentiate themselves and appeal to larger audiences?

A recent article published by Fast Company discusses a popular viral marketing campaign “The Art of the Heist” employed by the carmaker Audi.

The Art of the Heist premise was that two agents were trying to prevent the largest art theft in history at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence; the master plans were embedded in SD memory cards planted in several A3s just in from Germany. The sleuths--actors playing the parts of Nisha and her partner/boyfriend, Ian--were requesting the help of the public in tracking down the SD cards. Unlike traditional product placement, where a product is jammed into a storyline, the A3 would become a central character.

The payoff for Audi? Two million unique visitors to its site, and 4,000 test-drives within two months. These remarkable figures translated into sales with Audi selling more than 5,000 cars in the A3's first seven months on the market and 75% more dealership leads than on any previous model launch.

The effectiveness behind such a mysterious and sexy campaign is that it can elevate a brand to a whole new level. It enables customers not just to interact physically with the brand, but to live it, thus creating a Lovemark-like emotional attachment. What other companies do you see employing Blue Ocean strategies while making the shift from traditional advertising platforms to building communities of buyers who actually live the brand? Share your thoughts with us.