This book deserves a second read from me. I don't think I'm at a point in my life to grasp the level of content in this book just yet so it was harder to read, but in the future this book will definitely be picked up again because there is priceless information on business building, differentiation, and corporate strategy.

Up to around chapter 6, this was pretty original and gave a good explanation of approaching new business ideas from a relatively unique perspective, which makes it a valuable read.

However, after this point the narrative seems to lose its focus and the points discussed in the last few chapters seem to be made up of waffle/page filling content.

In short, read up to Ch.6 and then deem it finished.

As a theoretical framework its interesting, however people dont realize that most red oceans are red because there is blood to be had there, and most blue oceans remain blue coz there ain't no prey (customer spending).

Ao ser lido em 2015, este livro soa um tanto datado, seja por tudo o que se escreveu depois sobre negócios e estratégia, seja pelas empresas utilizadas como exemplo. Mesmo assim, fornece uma teoria bem interessante sobre estratégia de negócios que, mesmo em tempos de (já quase pós-) Lean Startup, ainda são relevantes.

Quelques concepts théoriques intéressants qui peuvent être utiles ; bien illustrés par des exemples. Une partie sur la conduite du changement un peu rébarbative.

A great book that every marketer should read!
Will leave here some notes for me:
1. Taking a Blue Ocean approach means your goal isn’t to outperform the competition or be the best in the industry. Instead, your aim is to redraw industry boundaries and operate within that new space, making the competition immaterial.
2. The Blue Ocean Strategy argues that consumers don’t have to choose between value and affordability. If a company can identify what consumers currently value and then rethink how to provide that value, differentiation and low cost can both be achieved. This is termed “value innovation.”

Là 1 người sở hữu những công ty riêng và chuyên môn về chiến lược thì đây là 1 cuốn sách không bỏ qua. Thực ra mình đọc cuốn này cách đây tầm 3 năm khi mình là sinh viên năm 2 Đại học. Hồi đó ham hố sách về kinh doanh lắm nhưng thật sự hồi đó đọc còn bé quá nên mình chưa thấm hết. Cho tới giờ, công ty được gần 2 năm tuổi thì đọc lại 1 lần nữa càng đọc càng thấm. Tới đâu lại vạch ra chiến lược áp dụng vào công ty mình như thế nhận ra hàng tá lỗ hổng.
Tuy rằng, cuốn sách được viết rất lâu của Chan Kim. Nhưng có 1 sự thực VN là nước đi sau nước ngoài tầm 2-3 thập kỉ nên những chiến lược của cuốn này chưa hẳn là cũ đối với thị trường Việt Nam
Vote 5/5 nhé.
Sẽ đọc đi đọc lại và nghiền ngẫm trong việc điều hành doanh nghiệp của mình.

Classic book in strategy, still relevant

3.5 rounded down. Recommended to me a while back and finally read. I appreciate the approach on how to look at companies. At the same time, the age of this book make you reflect on the examples used. Once a blue ocean…not always a blue ocean. So many things can change that -leadership changes, the economy, a pandemic….

More 1.5 stars than 2. In the vein of Alchemy, it had some general ideas and beat them to death. Worse, it shrouds its ideas in jargon both existing and invented and has multiple numbered systems (i.e. 6 paths, 4 actions framework, etc.) that cause most of the actual meat of the ideas it has to simply melt away.

Only rounded up to 2 because at least it has more than 1 idea and no narrator could ever be as insufferable as Rory Sutherland.

Awesome read. The Blue Ocean Strategy has several amazing techniques and frameworks that can benefit a lot of us. There were so many examples of different brands that created their own blue oceans and earned huge profits!

The first part of the book is really very interesting. The second part deals with the managerial problems and how to solve them. I liked the NYPD example.

I read the expanded edition. In the last chapter, authors talk about what blue ocean strategy is not. This is an important chapter as many readers confused blue ocean strategy with other strategies.

This is a book that should be picked again and again.

Blue Ocean Strategy (2004) is a business classic that revolutionized the way companies think about market competition. It explains why some businesses can grow uncontested, while the rest tear each other to bits in a hypercompetitive environment.

“The only way to beat the competition is to stop trying to beat the competition.” – Blue Ocean Strategy

If you want to launch a successful business, don’t waste time competing for market share. Instead, focus on creating new value and expanding the current market. If you create new value, you will find yourself in a highly profitable Blue Ocean, where the competition is irrelevant.

Professors W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne studied the launch of 108 businesses across 30 industries over the span of several decades. Their study revealed that when a new business tried to compete with an established business and steal market share, they were substantially less profitable than a new business that avoided competition. Of the 108 businesses, 16 businesses adopted a Blue Ocean strategy by creating a new product category that made the competition irrelevant. Those 16 Blue Ocean businesses took home 61% of the combined profits of all 108 businesses! What’s more, those 16 Blue Ocean businesses went on to dominate their market category for 10-15 years!

W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne are Professors of Strategy at INSEAD and Codirectors of the INSEAD Blue Ocean Strategy Institute. They are the authors of the New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal bestseller, BLUE OCEAN SHIFT and the international bestseller BLUE OCEAN STRATEGY, which is recognized as one of the most iconic and impactful strategy books ever written. Blue Ocean Strategy has sold over 4 million copies, is being published in a record-breaking 46 languages, and is a bestseller across five continents. In 2019, Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne were named the world’s most influential business thinkers by Thinkers50. They are the recipients of numerous academic and management awards around the world including the Nobels Colloquia Prize for Leadership on Business and Economic Thinking, the Carl S. Sloane Award by the Association of Management Consulting Firms, the Leadership Hall of Fame by Fast Company, and the Eldridge Haynes Prize by the Academy of International Business, among others. They are Fellows of the World Economic Forum and the founders of the Blue Ocean Global Network. For more on these authors and their new book, BLUE OCEAN SHIFT, see blueoceanstrategy.com.

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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. How did they do it? And how can your business do the same? This book will give you a taste.

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Escape your competition by setting sail to a blue ocean.

When you establish a new business, competition can be brutal. Whether you’re selling wine, audio books, or life insurance, the market for a product can only get so big. So you’re left to fight with hundreds of other companies for your share of a limited demand. No surprise that America’s most popular business TV show is called Shark Tank! Markets today are like oceans, swarming with hungry companies ready to kill each other. There’s so much blood in the water, we can call these markets red oceans.

But every once in a while, a company emerges that seems to sail past all the competition. These are businesses that rise fast, grow uncontested, and seem to play by their own rules. 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 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 cut-throat 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?

Let’s look at an example of this in action: famous Canadian circus company Cirque du Soleil. With its extraordinary variety shows, Cirque du Soleil has entertained millions of people worldwide. On top of that, it’s made record profits. Not something you would expect from a circus company! How did the company do it?

Well, Cirque du Soleil did two interesting things. First, it got rid of the old circus staple of animal acts. Then, it supplemented its human acts with live music and compelling storylines. The first move reduced costs while the second introduced exciting new elements into the world of circus. In effect, Cirque du Soleil created a blue ocean: it carved out an entirely new market for artistic theater experiences. And people love it.

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Lower your costs and differentiate yourself.

Perhaps you find the example of a circus company a bit too eclectic? No problem. There are thousands of other businesses that have successfully implemented a blue ocean strategy. Companies like Ford, Nintendo, Netflix, Nespresso, Yellow Tail, Southwest Airlines, and even The Body Shop. In this section, we’ll take a closer look at how they succeeded.

But first, a few more words about red oceans. 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.

Let’s be clear – you don’t need to reinvent the wheel to establish a blue ocean. Often, a few little tweaks are enough to set a product apart from its competitors and create a new market. It’s really quite simple: Take a close look at your industry as it is right now. Then think about which factors you can Raise, Eliminate, Reduce, and Create. Let’s go through these points step-by-step with examples.

Raise. Think about how you can elevate the product quality, price point, or service standards of your industry. Southwest Airlines did this when it became the first US airline to make domestic flights quick, easy, and affordable for everyone.

Eliminate. Consider which aspects of your product or service can be cut completely. Remember how Cirque du Soleil got rid of costly and unethical animal acts? Every industry has some outdated practice they’d be better off abandoning.

Reduce. Look at which production processes, product features or service offers you can reduce. Australian wine brand Yellow Tail, for instance, decided to reduce its focus on prestigious vineyards and the aging process in favor of affordable wines with broad appeal.

Create. Brainstorm what new features you can offer your customers. Netflix is a premium example of this that barely needs an explanation: it was the first company to offer on-demand streaming for movies and TV shows.

Ideally, considering these questions will help you do two things: lower your costs and differentiate your business from the competition. And that’s really all you need to create a blue ocean. Even more so, 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.

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In this book, you’ve learned about the difference between red and blue oceans.

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.

So, what are you waiting for? Stop swimming with the sharks and set sail.