The best way to be noticed by others is to differentiate ourselves from the rest of the group. This rule applies across the board, whether it be in dating, entertainment, business, politics, etc. In dating, this is the act of peacocking, which is when someone wears clothing that makes them visually stand out from everyone else at the bar—a leopard print shirt perhaps. The rapper Eminem became one the most popular music acts in the world because he was a white artist in a predominantly black genre. In politics, part of the reason Donald Trump has become so popular is because he talks and acts differently than everybody else.

Blue Ocean Strategy is about applying this same principle in business. When industries become overcrowded, choosing between similar brands becomes harder and harder for consumers, and “people increasingly select based on price.” Buyers won’t stick to their preferred Colgate toothpaste when Crest is on sale, and vice versa. Most businesses focus on trying to differentiate themselves from their competition—perhaps adding mint, whitening capabilities, or fluoride to their toothpaste. This may give them a slight edge, but the competition will catch up. When market space is crowded, our authors refer to it as a red ocean—one that is ‘bloody’ from competition.

Instead, our authors suggest a new strategy called value innovation. Value innovation is when a company introduces new strategies, upgrades, or technologies that are designed to achieve both product differentiation and low costs. It’s not enough to simply create a new product or service, it must also be cost effective for both provider and consumer.

The Canadian circus and entertainment company Cirque du Soleil created a blue ocean by following this strategy. Whereas circuses are geared towards children and theater is for adults, Cirque du Soleil combined them both, “offering people the fun and thrill of the circus and the intellectual sophistication and artistic richness of the theater at the same time.” Traditional circuses featured star performers, animal acts, and three rings. Cirque du Soleil did away with all of these. They kept the artistic music and acrobatic dance, but added in themes and story lines, something more akin to a theatrical production on Broadway. It was designed for viewers of all ages, offering multiple productions instead of the ‘one for all’ show. Through these strategies, Cirque du Soleil created an entirely new market of entertainment seekers: people who would have previously never considered going to the circus or theater on a night out. They brought production costs down without the star names and expensive elephants, which in turn made ticket prices affordable, and simultaneously “invented a new form of live entertainment, one that is markedly different from both traditional circus and theater.”

Instead of focusing on how to keep an existing customer base, blue ocean strategies pursue non-customers and create entirely new markets for themselves. They recognize that the best way to “beat the competition is to stop trying to beat the competition.” Another blue ocean business examined in the book is the Australian wine company [yellow tail]. Traditionally, wine was marketed towards upper-class buyers and thought to be a sophisticated drink, complete with high price tags and fancy looking bottles. [Yellow tail] turned this idea on its head, offering cheap options in non-threatening bottles and making wine easily accessible to the average drinker. Sales for the first few years were phenomenal before competitors inevitably appeared, competed in the market space, and turned their blue ocean into a red one. All blue oceans become red eventually.

All things exist in a state of flux and businesses are no different: they come and go with how society changes over time. In order to stay relevant and profitable, both new and existing businesses must constantly innovate. This process of creating new value, finding new markets, and delivering at an appropriate cost for consumers is what blue ocean strategy is all about.

Don’t be afraid to think outside the box! Whether we are in business or not, differentiating ourselves from the group is a theme we can all embrace. We are always attractive if we are doing the thing that nobody else is doing, in business, and in life.