The presentation offers a creative tool to widen the spectrum of Blue Ocean Strategy and its implementation. Visually, we may study products and differentiate them to stand out of the crowd.

1. Ali Anani, PhD
A New Metaphor for
Blue Ocean
S t r a t e g y ( B O S )

2. Blue Ocean Strategy (BOS) is
widely accepted as a venue
for Differentiation and adding
value to products and services

3. BOS has four building blocks.
These are:
Eliminate
Increase
Reduce
Create

4. It occurred to me that a visual
metaphor would ease
the process of performing the
four blocks of BOS

5. A suitable visual
metaphor is relating
BOS to a picture

6. Let us start the correlation

7. Recolor picture…. Recolor your
problem, your product. What
attributes to Create? Recolor
creatively may add new thinking
to the application of BOS

8. Compress picture…. Compress
your problem, to suit intended
use and means of delivery.
Compress might trigger different
ideas than Reduce

9. Brighten (or Dim) picture….
Brighten or dim the possibilities
resulting from solving the problem
of a product or service.
Again, Dim and Brighten might
trigger different ideas than
Reduce or Increase

10. Contrast picture…. Contrast the
problem at hand. See it from both
optimistic and pessimistic views.
Contrast isn’t explicitly used in BOS,
which might lead to different
thinking paths.

11. Rotate picture…. Rotate the problem to see
it from different perspectives.
Again, Rotate isn’t explicitly mentioned in
BOS, which might trigger new approaches
and ideas

12. Reflect picture…. Reflect your
problem and see things from
the other side of the river.
Reflect adds to the possibilities
of applying BOS Strategy

13. Reshape picture…. Reshape
your problem and change your
perspective of the problem.
Reshape isn’t used explicitly in
BOS, which might lead to the
generation of new ideas

14. Border picture…. Put your problem
within defined borders.
Defining problems results in framing
their solutions

15. Shade picture…. Shade your
problem. Eliminate or reduce certain
attributes of your product or service.
The use of Shade would lead to new
thinking and problem-solving
approaches

16. Blur picture… What attributes to blur?
For example, to reduce or eliminate
their advertising? The use of Blur
instead of Reduce might lead to
different thinking lines.

17. Annotate picture… Annotate your
product or service creatively to
draw attention to them

18. Highlight picture… What
attributes to highlight and
increase their exposure?
Highlight may add to our thinking
in producing improved BOS ideas

19. Erase picture…. What parts of product
or service to Eliminate or Erase.
Erase is comprehensive as it opens
new windows of thinking BOS.
Erase not only from the market, but
also from customers’ memory as well.

20. Stepwise annotation of picture…
What attributes to Increase, Reduce,
Create or Eliminate gradually?
1
2
3

21. Cut picture
What attributes to cut or Reduce of
your product or service? Cut may open
the mind to new possibilities