Comic Book Character by David A. Zimmerman

That is, by focusing on an entirely new demographic and shifting from shelf space competition to creative innovation, Marvel created a new value for itself. This strategy brought marvel into a blue ocean, where it could capture an uncontested marketplace that no longer fought over existing demand. Shifting its target audience from children to college students, Marvel started to introduce characters that were humans first and superheroes second (3). Facing minimal distribution of its comics, Marvel adopted a completely new strategy. What gave DC an upper hand vis-à-vis Marvel, was the acquisition of Marvel’s distribution unit by the former (5). Put differently, rival brands compete with each other to acquire shelf space such that they can maximize product exposure to customers (1). The concept of retail shelf space emphasizes the importance of strategic product allocation. The cutthroat competition between the two gave rise to red ocean competition when DC tried to expand market presence by controlling retail shelf space. After this event, only two comic book publishers dominated the market, Marvel and Detective Comics (DC). The comic book industry plunged in the early 1950s owing to the criticism regarding inappropriate content for children, which gave rise to the creation of the Comics Code Authority. Around these years, Marvel’s target audience was children, who were pleased by comics with little original content. Marvel started its journey in 1939, when it essentially produced comic books, starring superheroes (5). Marvel’s Red Ocean Competition with DC Comics A blue ocean, on the other hand, is one where demand is created rather than fought over, and this is where industry competition stands irrelevant (2). This is where cutthroat competition exists. A red ocean is where industry boundaries are established and well defined. Red Ocean and Blue OceanĪccording to Chan Kim & Renée Mauborgne, all markets consist of two types of oceans, red and blue.

However, almost a decade after filing for bankruptcy, Marvel established a blue ocean for itself. Marvel initially started off in a blue ocean, but shortly adopted red ocean strategies, leaving the company in debt. Has Marvel always been as buoyant and successful as it is today? Certainly not. But if you’ve heard about it and have not spent a significant fraction of your time obsessing over it, you’re consciously missing out on one of the greatest cinematic experiences of all time.

If you haven’t heard about Marvel, you’re probably living under a rock.

Comic Book Character by David A. Zimmerman