Blue Ocean preloaded

When you read our last week’s memo you might have thought that life was all roses for Mr Monet. Well, it was not – until he used a strategy we call „Blue Ocean“ today. Read on to learn how to make your competition irrelevant.

In 1860s, the reigning Grand Salon de l’Art in Paris consistently rejected Claude Monet and his friends of a new school of painting. Eventually, after a decade of wasted efforts to conform to the conventions of classical art, they turned their strategy around. Instead, the new stream painters set up their own societé and launched a series of independent exhibitions.   

Although at the beginning the enterprise was not much of success either, and it took years until Monet finally earned recognition (and money) for his art, the step to an uncontested market space made their positioning as Impressionistes crystal-clear. The competition became simply irrelevant.

Monet & Co discovered the Blue Ocean Strategy much earlier than Kim and Mauborgne of INSEAD formalized it in 1990s. Most probably, the artists were not aware of their strategic breakthrough - but does it really matter today, when each of Monet’s masterpieces costs a fortune?

P.S.: The impressionists’ societé went bankrupt after the first year of its existence. Beware of the short-term shortcomings of Blue Oceans!

This blog is from our Friday noon memo #46. Interested in regular updates? Sign up here.

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