The Three C's: Strategic Marketing

It is essential to create a successful strategy for any company, and this requires examining the customer, the company, and the competition. Kenichi Ohmae defines strategy as “the way in which a company uses its relative strengths to meet customer needs better than its competitors”. To do this, it is necessary to identify who the customer is, what their unmet needs are, and how the company can serve them better than the competition. This is the basis for a brand strategy.

The best way to gain an understanding of the customer's needs is through conversations with them. To help with this process, there are exercises designed to identify and understand customers, assess the relative strengths of the company, and assess the competitive landscape. These exercises will help to lay the groundwork for articulating a brand strategy. The three C's of marketing - Company, Customer, and Competition - are essential components for creating a successful strategy.

By understanding these three elements, companies can use their relative strengths to meet customer needs better than their competitors.