In Michael Porter’s reading of “What is Strategy?” (article), it was clear to everyone that Porter kept emphasizing on the idea of “establishing a unique position”. He kept on saying that differentiating yourself from others and cementing yourself as a unique figure in the market is tied very closely to strategy. Then, I realized that this also very closely connected to the idea of marketing, when the other day, we were talking about how firms engage in the “battle for the consumer’s mind”. Porter’s point can be related to the point made in the other class that there’s such an overflow of information these days that there’s a need for companies to stand out and demonstrate (to the consumers) of being distinct from everyone else. This is where strategy was being highlighted by Porter…creating that unique position to gain the competitive advantage by standing out to the consumer out of all the overflow of information. It was interesting to see that connection between the two classes (talking about “battle for the consumer’s mind” in one class and strategy in the other), and also looking into the significance of this connection, in addition to realizing the importance of Porter’s point.

Article

“What is Strategy.” Michael Porter. Harvard Business Review.
November 1, 1996. Online Print.

Images

“Porter’s Five Forces Diagram.” Vector Study (US). Web. 6 Oct 2010.

“Marketing Groups.” Burning the Bacon (US). Web. 6 Oct 2010.