Article
Blue Ocean Strategy: Stop Playing the Same Game as Everyone Else
Blue Ocean Strategy: Stop Playing the Same Game as Everyone Else
Article
How To Start Thinking and Acting Differently to Gain Positional Advantage
How To Start Thinking and Acting Differently to Gain Positional Advantage
15 May 2025
Written by Bastiaan van der Sluis
(c) Pinterest
01 Why I Recommend Reading This
Many creative businesses don’t drown. They disappear into the noise.
You start with a perspective. A belief. A bit of fire. Then the edge dulls. You soften your pitch. You polish your site. You study what “works.” You mimic success. Before long, your messaging reads like it came off a mood board titled “safe and forgettable.”
“We help brands stand out.”
“We build timeless identities.”
“We design with purpose.”
You didn’t plan for this sameness. It happened slowly. Industry pressure. Client feedback. Market signals. You tweaked until you fit. And when you fit, you stopped standing out.
That’s why I went back to Blue Ocean Strategy. Written by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne in 2005, its premise is simple and sharp: Don’t compete harder. Compete elsewhere. Build your own lane. Then own it completely.
It’s not just theory. It’s a wake-up call. If you’ve felt yourself sliding into the middle. Pitching harder. Justifying more. Second-guessing what made you different. This is your moment to get out.
02 The Trap of Slightly Better
Here’s the trap no one warns you about: the moment you start competing by being slightly better, you’re already losing. Slightly faster timelines. Slightly more polished decks. Slightly lower rates.
But when your edge is becoming less, you’re always being compared. And when you’re always being compared, you’re always being negotiated down. In price, in trust, in creative freedom.
Being “better” becomes a burden. You deliver more. You get less. And you begin to question whether your best work even matters. This is the slow death of creative confidence. Not a crash, but a fade. A dulling of the work, the positioning, the reason you started.
Why not: Instead of trying to win the pitch, you remove the need to pitch at all.
What happens when you stop chasing validation and start rewriting the rules?
You stop asking, “How do we win this pitch?”
You start asking, “Why are we even pitching?”
Ever thought about this approach?
03 What Most Creatives Miss About Blue Ocean Strategy
Blue Ocean Strategy isn’t about flashy differentiation; it’s about strategic innovation that redefines value. It isn’t about being louder. It’s about playing a different game.
The authors call it value innovation. You don’t just create something new. You increase the value for yourself and the client at the same time — by breaking the patterns everyone else is stuck in.
You start by asking better questions:
What services do we offer just because everyone else does?
What do clients put up with that they actually hate?
What if we eliminated the proposal process?
What if we charged for strategy first and delivered creative second?
These aren’t surface tweaks. They hit the system itself. The model. The process. The offer. That’s why they work. This isn’t about creativity in the portfolio. It’s about creativity in how you run the business. That’s the real differentiator now.
Central to this approach is the ERRC Grid—Eliminate, Reduce, Raise, Create. This framework helps you systematically rethink your offerings:
Eliminate factors that the industry takes for granted but no longer add value.
Reduce elements that are over-served or over-engineered.
Raise aspects that are under-appreciated but highly valued by clients.
Create new elements that the industry has never offered.
By applying the ERRC Grid, you can break free from industry norms and deliver unique value that resonates with clients.
04 Real-World Example: How CitizenM Redefined Hospitality
You don’t need more talent. You need a position in the market that doesn’t invite comparison. And the traditional hotel industry is a textbook example of a red ocean—crowded, competitive, and saturated with similar offerings.
CitizenM, a Netherlands-based hotel chain, broke away from this by targeting a specific segment: the “mobile citizen”—modern travelers seeking affordable luxury without unnecessary frills.
Applying the ERRC Grid, CitizenM systematically reimagined the hotel experience:
Eliminate: Traditional front desks, concierge services, bellhops, and room service, which added cost but little value to their target guests.
Reduce: Room sizes and variety, focusing on a standardised, compact design that still offered comfort.
Raise: Quality of sleep with king-sized beds, high-end linens, soundproofing, and powerful showers.
Create: Self-service check-in kiosks, vibrant communal spaces with designer furniture, and a tech-friendly environment with free high-speed Wi-Fi and on-demand entertainment.
This strategic shift allowed CitizenM to offer a unique value proposition: luxury essentials at an affordable price point.
The result? High occupancy rates, strong customer satisfaction, and a distinctive brand identity in a crowded market.
05 How You Can Start Thinking in Blue
Applying Blue Ocean Strategy to your creative business involves deliberate steps:
1. Map the Value Curve
Identify the key factors your industry competes on. Plot your position and that of your competitors. Look for areas where you can diverge meaningfully.
2. Apply the ERRC Grid
Ask yourself the following questions:
Eliminate: What standard practices in our industry no longer add value?
Reduce: Where are we over-delivering beyond what clients need?
Raise: What aspects do clients value that we’re currently under-delivering?
Create: What new offerings can we introduce that clients haven’t seen before?
3. Engage Non-Customers
Seek feedback from those who chose not to work with you. Understand their reasons and identify unmet needs that you can address innovatively.
4. Reframe Your Value Proposition
Shift from service descriptions to outcome-focused messaging.
Instead of: “We design brands.”
Try: “We help your customers believe in your story again.”
This reframing emphasises the impact of your work, not just the deliverables.
5. Redesign the Client Experience
Differentiate not just in what you offer, but in how you deliver it. For example, replace traditional proposals with personalised video walkthroughs of your ideas, providing a unique and memorable client experience.
06 Your Next Move
If these ideas feel challenging, that’s a sign you’re pushing beyond the conventional.
You don’t need to overhaul everything overnight. Start small:
Identify one industry norm you can eliminate.
Find one area where you can reduce complexity.
Choose one aspect to enhance significantly.
Introduce one new element that adds unexpected value.
Blue Ocean Strategy is about making strategic choices that set you apart.
By thoughtfully applying the ERRC Grid and focusing on value innovation, you can create a space where your creative business thrives without direct competition.
Need help? DM me.
Speak soon,
Bastiaan
01 Why I Recommend Reading This
Many creative businesses don’t drown. They disappear into the noise.
You start with a perspective. A belief. A bit of fire. Then the edge dulls. You soften your pitch. You polish your site. You study what “works.” You mimic success. Before long, your messaging reads like it came off a mood board titled “safe and forgettable.”
“We help brands stand out.”
“We build timeless identities.”
“We design with purpose.”
You didn’t plan for this sameness. It happened slowly. Industry pressure. Client feedback. Market signals. You tweaked until you fit. And when you fit, you stopped standing out.
That’s why I went back to Blue Ocean Strategy. Written by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne in 2005, its premise is simple and sharp: Don’t compete harder. Compete elsewhere. Build your own lane. Then own it completely.
It’s not just theory. It’s a wake-up call. If you’ve felt yourself sliding into the middle. Pitching harder. Justifying more. Second-guessing what made you different. This is your moment to get out.
02 The Trap of Slightly Better
Here’s the trap no one warns you about: the moment you start competing by being slightly better, you’re already losing. Slightly faster timelines. Slightly more polished decks. Slightly lower rates.
But when your edge is becoming less, you’re always being compared. And when you’re always being compared, you’re always being negotiated down. In price, in trust, in creative freedom.
Being “better” becomes a burden. You deliver more. You get less. And you begin to question whether your best work even matters. This is the slow death of creative confidence. Not a crash, but a fade. A dulling of the work, the positioning, the reason you started.
Why not: Instead of trying to win the pitch, you remove the need to pitch at all.
What happens when you stop chasing validation and start rewriting the rules?
You stop asking, “How do we win this pitch?”
You start asking, “Why are we even pitching?”
Ever thought about this approach?
03 What Most Creatives Miss About Blue Ocean Strategy
Blue Ocean Strategy isn’t about flashy differentiation; it’s about strategic innovation that redefines value. It isn’t about being louder. It’s about playing a different game.
The authors call it value innovation. You don’t just create something new. You increase the value for yourself and the client at the same time — by breaking the patterns everyone else is stuck in.
You start by asking better questions:
What services do we offer just because everyone else does?
What do clients put up with that they actually hate?
What if we eliminated the proposal process?
What if we charged for strategy first and delivered creative second?
These aren’t surface tweaks. They hit the system itself. The model. The process. The offer. That’s why they work. This isn’t about creativity in the portfolio. It’s about creativity in how you run the business. That’s the real differentiator now.
Central to this approach is the ERRC Grid—Eliminate, Reduce, Raise, Create. This framework helps you systematically rethink your offerings:
Eliminate factors that the industry takes for granted but no longer add value.
Reduce elements that are over-served or over-engineered.
Raise aspects that are under-appreciated but highly valued by clients.
Create new elements that the industry has never offered.
By applying the ERRC Grid, you can break free from industry norms and deliver unique value that resonates with clients.
04 Real-World Example: How CitizenM Redefined Hospitality
You don’t need more talent. You need a position in the market that doesn’t invite comparison. And the traditional hotel industry is a textbook example of a red ocean—crowded, competitive, and saturated with similar offerings.
CitizenM, a Netherlands-based hotel chain, broke away from this by targeting a specific segment: the “mobile citizen”—modern travelers seeking affordable luxury without unnecessary frills.
Applying the ERRC Grid, CitizenM systematically reimagined the hotel experience:
Eliminate: Traditional front desks, concierge services, bellhops, and room service, which added cost but little value to their target guests.
Reduce: Room sizes and variety, focusing on a standardised, compact design that still offered comfort.
Raise: Quality of sleep with king-sized beds, high-end linens, soundproofing, and powerful showers.
Create: Self-service check-in kiosks, vibrant communal spaces with designer furniture, and a tech-friendly environment with free high-speed Wi-Fi and on-demand entertainment.
This strategic shift allowed CitizenM to offer a unique value proposition: luxury essentials at an affordable price point.
The result? High occupancy rates, strong customer satisfaction, and a distinctive brand identity in a crowded market.
05 How You Can Start Thinking in Blue
Applying Blue Ocean Strategy to your creative business involves deliberate steps:
1. Map the Value Curve
Identify the key factors your industry competes on. Plot your position and that of your competitors. Look for areas where you can diverge meaningfully.
2. Apply the ERRC Grid
Ask yourself the following questions:
Eliminate: What standard practices in our industry no longer add value?
Reduce: Where are we over-delivering beyond what clients need?
Raise: What aspects do clients value that we’re currently under-delivering?
Create: What new offerings can we introduce that clients haven’t seen before?
3. Engage Non-Customers
Seek feedback from those who chose not to work with you. Understand their reasons and identify unmet needs that you can address innovatively.
4. Reframe Your Value Proposition
Shift from service descriptions to outcome-focused messaging.
Instead of: “We design brands.”
Try: “We help your customers believe in your story again.”
This reframing emphasises the impact of your work, not just the deliverables.
5. Redesign the Client Experience
Differentiate not just in what you offer, but in how you deliver it. For example, replace traditional proposals with personalised video walkthroughs of your ideas, providing a unique and memorable client experience.
06 Your Next Move
If these ideas feel challenging, that’s a sign you’re pushing beyond the conventional.
You don’t need to overhaul everything overnight. Start small:
Identify one industry norm you can eliminate.
Find one area where you can reduce complexity.
Choose one aspect to enhance significantly.
Introduce one new element that adds unexpected value.
Blue Ocean Strategy is about making strategic choices that set you apart.
By thoughtfully applying the ERRC Grid and focusing on value innovation, you can create a space where your creative business thrives without direct competition.
Need help? DM me.
Speak soon,
Bastiaan
