In business, there are two oceans – the red and the blue

Red oceans represent all companies in existence today that compete by grabbing a greater share of limited demand. As a result, the market space gets crowded and the prospects for profits and growth decline. Products turn into commodities and the competition turns the water ‘’bloody.’’

Blue oceans, on the other hand, are all the industries not in existence today, it is the untapped market space, the creation of new demands, therefore there are opportunities for highly profitable growth. Blue oceans spin off from red oceans, created by expanding existing industry boundaries.

‘’Cutthroat competition has left bloody spills on competing commodities, thus a ‘red ocean’ arena that has seen all too many business casualties. Fighting for competitive advantage, battling over market share, and struggling for differentiation, industries compete head-on so that rivals fight over a shrinking profit pool,’’ explains pioneering marketing strategist Josiah Go who is the first Filipino to ever complete the Blue Ocean Strategy (BOS) qualification process in France. Go is also chairman of Mansmith and Fielders, Inc., a leading advocacy-based marketing and sales trading and consultancy company.

Based on a study of 150 blue ocean creations in over 30 industries, Blue Ocean was mapped out by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne who strongly contended that ‘’tomorrow’s best corporations will win their battles not by struggling against their competitors, but by creating "blue oceans" of uncontested market space ripe for growth.’’ World-renowned companies like Cirque du Soleil, Starbucks, Ikea and Nintendo have been said to have greatly profited from this breakthrough strategy in their respective markets.

To spread the gospel of Blue Ocean Strategy, Go will be one of the speakers in the ‘’3rd Market Master Conference: Brand and Trade Initiatives’’ slated on March 21, at Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Makati City.

The conference also brings together top marketing and sales minds of the country such as Dondi Gomez of Unilever Philippines, Weena Pineda of Splash Holdings, Benedicto Cid of AC Nielsen Philippines, Wilson Lim of Abenson, Waltermart and ElectroWorld; and Joanne Lim of Waltermart Supermarket, in a learning opportunity to know the latest marketing insights from various industries. For inquiries about the conference and the Blue Ocean Strategy, call 7222318, 7277142 or log on to www.mansmith.net