Marketing Warfare

Defensive Offensive
Warfare Warfare
Is what market Is strategy for No.2
leaders wage or No.3 in a
category

Flanking
Warfare Guerilla
Smaller or new
Warfare
players that are Is often the land
trying to get a
foothold in a
of smaller
 MARKETING WARFARE
• SIMPLY THINK OF COMPETITORS AS THE
ENEMY . ATTACK OR FLANK OR KEEP
INNOVATING DEPENDING ON YOUR
POSITION IN THE STRATEGIC SQUARE.

NEVER HESITATE TO DESTROY

COMPETITION OR ELSE
U WILL BE A PART OF HISTORY.
 Marketing Warfare
Principles of Defensive Marketing Warfare

• Only the market leader should consider playing defensive.

• The best defensive strategy is the courage to attack yourself
• Strong competitive moves should always be blocked.

e.g : Gillette : The best a man can get.

• Owned wet shaving market with Blue and Super Blue Blade.
• Launched Trac II (nonadjustable ) and ATRA (adjustable
double bladed razor)
 Marketing Warfare
• Launched Good News (inexpensive disposable razor to
counter BIC (French company which launched disposable
razor)
• Mach 3:- 3 bladed razors
Market share of over 60% in USA/Europe.

Other examples: INTEL (286,386,486,PENTIUM etc.)

J&J : :- Tylenol :- reduced price from $2.85 for 100 to $1.85
to beat Bristol – Myer’s Datril.
 Marketing Warfare
Principles of Offensive Marketing Warfare:

• The main consideration is the strength of the leader’s position.

• Find a weakness in the leader’s strength and attack at that point.
• Launch the attack on as narrow a front as possible.
e.g. : AVIS :-- “Rent from AVIS . The line at our counter is
shorter”:- AVIS attacked Hertz:-- weakness inherent in Hertz’s
position as the largest Rent-A-Car company.
XEROX: Out-innovated the leader 3M (by developing a better
copying process-dry instead of wet copying)
 Marketing Warfare
• Fed Express used principle 3 by saying “ When it
absolutely , positively has to be there overnight” (small
packages less then 70 pounds)= challenged the leader
EMERY.

• Wall Street Journal was the leader (2 Mn daily) for

financial and business information. The name positions it
as a financial paper , so the business side can be attacked
== “Business Times” , The daily business newspaper.
 Marketing Warfare
Principles of Flanking.
• A good Flanking move must be made into an uncontested area.
• Tactical surprise ought to be an important element of plan.
• The pursuit is as critical as the attack itself.

• Michael Dell flanked the computer industry and Direct Marketed:-

$ 500 Mn company in 5 years.
• Miller Lite flanked the beer industry with Lite beer.
• DEC flanked IBM (Minicomputers)
 Marketing Warfare
• Mercedes-Benz flanked GM (Cadillac cars ) at the high end.
• Volkswagen's Beetle flanked GM’s big cars.
• Avon flanked cosmetic companies who used traditional distribution
methods by resorting to direct door-to-door selling.

To launch a true flanking attack you must be the first to occupy the segment.
Otherwise it’s just an offensive attack against a defended position.
Flanking skill requires exceptional foresight because there is no established
market for the new product or service.
Indian examples: Nirma, Close-up.
 Marketing Warfare
Principles of Guerilla Marketing Warfare.
• Find a segment of the market small enough to defend.
• No matter how successful you become , never act like a leader.
• Be prepared to bug out at a moment’s notice.
e.g.: Rolls-Royce : High priced Guerilla : nobody competes because
1) existing market is small
2) The company initially has an enormous advantage.
Indian examples: 1) Arun Ice-cream : T.N
2) Natural’s Ice-cream : Mumbai
3) Crown CTV : Gujarat. (Geographic Guerillas)