Logical, clearly written (though buzz words abound), and engaging, it's no wonder Blue Ocean Strategy was such a bestseller. Because they inevitably focus on innovative products or services (the authors use the term 'value innovation') that seemingly appear out of the blue to take a market by storm or to create a new market altogether, Blue Ocean Strategies (BOS) make the most compelling of stories. Unfortunately, the theory is weak for two reasons: the examples given, while interesting, are largely exercises in data-mining; and second, BOSs can only apply to a very, very small percentage of the market place, or else there would be no mainstream or conventional business in the first place. Early in the book the authors talk about the certainty of the Euro’s development as a currency: "... the euro has been evolving along a constant trajectory as it has been replacing Europe’s multiple currencies. It is a decisive, irreversible, and clearly developing trend in financial services upon which blue oceans can be created as the European Union continues to enlarge.” Current events have proved the authors dead wrong, and I cite the passage not to be nit-picky, but rather to illustrate the unscientific nature of the methodology. Examples are drawn selectively to prove a thesis. They appear to provide insight and are enjoyable to read - in fact may actually spur some of us to the desired results - but the book has little chance of a lasting impact on organizational behaviour or the academic body of knowledge. In another example, the authors cite a purported mistake by genetically modified food maker Monsanto, in which they claim that had Monsanto educated environmental groups of the benefit of genetically modified foods, their company would have been hailed as heroes rather than pariahs. Very simplistic and debatable logic about a very complex issue. The example is topical and interesting, and does make readers think, but it's an example of the text's frequent shallowness. The other major weakness is in the central premise - that companies should look to scalable, non-traditional markets for 'Blue Ocean' opportunities - because it will work for very few in practice. For the theory to have any credibility, the majority have to follow non BOSs in the first place. Enjoyable, but lightweight. If Dan Brown taught business, he might have written this book.

I loved the first 3/4 of this book. Then, for my purposes, it got a bit tedious. The authors' emphasis on tactics was more than I needed. I give the authors credit for going beyong the key concepts and going the full distance in outlining how make their approach work. The basic idea of the book is very compelling and makes a lot of sense. An essential book for anyone interested in growing their business. Pretty Darn Good!

Wow - for a guy that has hundreds of business, sales and marketing books, I usually find something good in almost all of them. This would, I guess, be the exception that proves the rule. It sounds WAY too much like a boring marketing class and is a little too "textbook" for my liking. This appears to be "what they (marketing and advertising companies) want you to think" as opposed to "what actually works and gets results in the real world." YAWN. (Heaven forbid marketing actually provides a return on dollars invested - oh no... We must build "brand awareness." How nice it must be to promote and sell something with no way to measure it's performance!) The premise was interesting and I had a lot of expectations for this book - sadly, it was so dry and (old school marketing) classroom-like I could barely stay awake while reading it. Perhaps the author wants to impress his high-brow academic colleagues at Harvard, but guess what - most of those guys don't actually create any wealth.... The concept and strategy in the book is sound and I will be trying to implement it in my own way. Too bad the author seems to love his $50 words - they may impress his snooty friends, but in the real world - if you can't speak with your customers, how the hell can you expect to market to them??? Yikes. ZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. I'm not asking for it to be dumbed down - but what is the message you wish to convey here? Marketing isn't about using fancy-pants words - it is about conveying a message to your target audience. D- I got more from the title than from the book. The text reeks of someone that has learned the concepts in classroom, but has NEVER tried them in the real world. What was this, your thesis while getting your "Doctorate of Marketing"????

If you're a small business person either contemplating or just starting your business, this book is a winner. This is will help you to succeed by allowing you to learn how to position yourself in order to create "Blue Ocean" demand for your product or service. The book offers real world examples and is quite easy to read. As an added bonus, the book is extremely motivating.

If ever you are asked to come up with a growth strategy, before you charge off to “Think out of the box”, “Brainstorm” or “Ideate” grab a copy of Blue Ocean Strategy. Blue Ocean is a great primer for finding growth opportunities beyond adjacencies. By experimenting with the Kim’s six principles you can probably synthesize a world of new consumers, with new needs that can be met in new ways opening up new opportunities. But beware. The reward for successful innovation is always imitation and new competitors – sharks do live in the blue ocean. Like it or not you will have to stand and fight to hang onto your success. Even many of Kim’s historic examples had great swims that were brought to an end by competitors. For advice here Blue Ocean comes up very short. Precious little is said on building sources of competitive advantage to protect your blue oceans, how to shore up the ones that may have opened new businesses for you, how to maneuver your competitors into weaker positions to ensure the profit potential of the new business. Doing so will require multiples of effort over that which created the blue ocean to begin with. For insight into the waves beyond Blue Ocean try Perspectives on Strategy by Stern and Deimler or Competitive Strategy by Porter, or even Hardball.