Charting New Waters

Standing out from the crowd is the premise of The Blue Ocean Strategy, a book written a few years back by W. Chan Kim and Renee Maubourgne. It challenges companies to go where the profits and growth are - and the competition isn't - by identifying unique opportunities to hatch non-traditional products and services to sidestep the crowded waters already reddened with the 'blood' of failed also-ran concepts. And in an industry where properties are fighting for shelf space, often with competing products manufactured by the same shared group of core-category licensees, it's a concept worth exploring. Read on to find out how a number of IP owners and manufacturers are getting to that end of the ocean.