Citation
Blue Ocean Strategy
TL;DR
Red ocean = convergent competition in existing markets
Framework distinguishing 'red ocean' strategies (convergent competition for existing market space) from 'blue ocean' strategies (divergent creation of new market space). Convergence on red ocean strategies is inevitable without deliberate differentiation.
The biological framework explains why: red oceans represent single-peak fitness landscapes where all competitors converge; blue oceans represent alternative peaks that can be occupied through strategic innovation.
Key Findings from Kim & Mauborgne (2005)
- Red ocean = convergent competition in existing markets
- Blue ocean = divergent creation of new market space
- Convergence inevitable in red oceans without deliberate differentiation
- Value innovation creates new fitness peaks