The Power of Flanking by Al and Laura Rise
http://successandlife.com/articles/14832/1/The-Power-of-Flanking-by-Al-and-Laura-Rise/Page1.html
Hock Chuan Tan
By Hock Chuan Tan
Published on 06/20/2008
Flanking Strategy is one of the strategy proposed in the book "Marketing Warfare" written by Al Rise & Jack Trout. The main idea about the strategy is from Modern War Strategy Guru named Karl Von Clausewitz. If you are from West Point Academy, probably you should know him better. Below is the famous quote from him:
War belongs to the province of business competition, which is also a conflict of human interests and activities.
Karl Von Clausewitz
From his quote, it means that business is also some kind of war and thus could apply the war strategy. Four strategy has been recommended in "Marketing Warfare":
1. Defensive marketing warfare strategies
2. Offensive marketing warfare strategies
3. Flanking marketing warfare strategies
4. Guerrilla marketing warfare strategies
Defensive marketing warfare strategies
Strategies intended to maintain the market leadership in terms of market share, profitability, sales revenue, or some other objective. This type of strategist normally deployed by Market Leaders who is controlling majority of the market Share in certain industry. For example, the strategy used by Gillet in maintaining their market share. As you should noticed that Gillet always launches new products to “kill” the predecessors. In fact, killing your own products by a better better is always a better idea comparing to be killed by competitors product!
Offensive marketing warfare strategies
This is a kind of strategy for market no. 2 to lauch attacking campaign to the market No. 1 heads on. Normally their target is to get away some market share from the market leader. The classic example is how Pepsi challenges Coca Cola.
Flanking marketing warfare strategies
This is the strategy that has been stressed on this Report by Al and Laura Ries. Normally it is used by smaller player which looks for certain ground in the market that not focused by the current market leaders. It is also named as Niche Marketing Strategy. Flanking Strategist means do not go head on to the competitor. For example as quoted in the Report by Al and Laura Ries, Mercedez successfully Flanked GM by positioned Mercedez benz as more prestige car
Guerrilla marketing warfare strategies
If enemy advances, we retreat. If they sleep, we arouse. Attack them when they are tired. When they retreat, we attack.
One of the war strategy deployed by communist troops
Use attack, retreat, hide, then repeat it until the competitor moves away to the other markets. One example is the company selling certain specific computer graphic design software or project management software. As they are so focus in a certain small market segment, they could mobilize all their resources in that particular small geographical market with ways of customization and professional services. Normally big players are not going to attack them due to they have bigger market and challenges to focus.
That is just a general introduction about the Marketing Warfare Strategist. Nowadays, Blue Ocean Strategy has got attention from business world as a newer approach towards competition. When we are overwhelmed by this new business strategy, please do not forget that as the psychology of human doesn’t change, we cannot run away from war. Just be prepared.
Effective Marketing Warfare Strategy for Challenging the top player in the industry - Flanking
Flanking Strategy is one of the strategy proposed in the book "Marketing Warfare" written by Al Rise & Jack Trout. The main idea about the strategy is from Modern War Strategy Guru named Karl Von Clausewitz. If you are from West Point Academy, probably you should know him better. Below is the famous quote from him:
War belongs to the province of business competition, which is also a conflict of human interests and activities.
Karl Von Clausewitz
From his quote, it means that business is also some kind of war and thus could apply the war strategy. Four strategy has been recommended in "Marketing Warfare":
1. Defensive marketing warfare strategies
2. Offensive marketing warfare strategies
3. Flanking marketing warfare strategies
4. Guerrilla marketing warfare strategies
Defensive marketing warfare strategies
Strategies intended to maintain the market leadership in terms of market share, profitability, sales revenue, or some other objective. This type of strategist normally deployed by Market Leaders who is controlling majority of the market Share in certain industry. For example, the strategy used by Gillet in maintaining their market share. As you should noticed that Gillet always launches new products to “kill” the predecessors. In fact, killing your own products by a better better is always a better idea comparing to be killed by competitors product!
Offensive marketing warfare strategies
This is a kind of strategy for market no. 2 to lauch attacking campaign to the market No. 1 heads on. Normally their target is to get away some market share from the market leader. The classic example is how Pepsi challenges Coca Cola.
Flanking marketing warfare strategies
This is the strategy that has been stressed on this Report by Al and Laura Ries. Normally it is used by smaller player which looks for certain ground in the market that not focused by the current market leaders. It is also named as Niche Marketing Strategy. Flanking Strategist means do not go head on to the competitor. For example as quoted in the Report by Al and Laura Ries, Mercedez successfully Flanked GM by positioned Mercedez benz as more prestige car
Guerrilla marketing warfare strategies
If enemy advances, we retreat. If they sleep, we arouse. Attack them when they are tired. When they retreat, we attack.
One of the war strategy deployed by communist troops
Use attack, retreat, hide, then repeat it until the competitor moves away to the other markets. One example is the company selling certain specific computer graphic design software or project management software. As they are so focus in a certain small market segment, they could mobilize all their resources in that particular small geographical market with ways of customization and professional services. Normally big players are not going to attack them due to they have bigger market and challenges to focus.
That is just a general introduction about the Marketing Warfare Strategist. Nowadays, Blue Ocean Strategy has got attention from business world as a newer approach towards competition. When we are overwhelmed by this new business strategy, please do not forget that as the psychology of human doesn’t change, we cannot run away from war. Just be prepared.