Blue Ocean Strategy:
Value Innovation & Campus Ministry Growth
Red Ocean: A set of conditions established due to a limited market,
increasing competition, and set industry standards.
Blue Ocean: A set of conditions created or discovered where there
is no competition because you are providing value innovation and
attracting non-customers
non-members
of our groups and/or
Blue(e.g.
Ocean
Strategy:
other groups on and off campus)
Value
Innovation
& Campus
Growth
Value
Innovation:
The driving
force behindMinistry
establishing and
maintaining Blue Oceans whereby a product or service provides
uncontested value in the minds of customers and non-customers (e.g.
Christian and non-Christian students).
Value innovation occurs when we align innovation with our purpose on campus,
the utility we offer to students, and our resources.
EXAMPLE: By looking across the market boundary of theater, Cirque du
Soleil offered new non-circus factors, such as a story line, intellectual richness,
artistic music and dance, and multiple productions. These factors, entirely new
creations for the circus industry, are drawn from the alternative live entertainment
industry of theater. The result-they eliminated the competition of theater and
the circus by making them irrelevant. They created a Blue Ocean.
They also reduced cost by canceling all animal acts, eliminating “star” circus
performers, and cutting out many of the other costly industry standards
associated with the circus. They raised the cost of the tickets, however, and
charged the amount of a high-end theater show.
Costs
What are our costs?
Where is value innovation
for us and how
Value
Inno-a Blue Ocean
can we break into
vation
condition for campus ministry?
Who are our buyers?
Buyer Value
Red Ocean
Strategy
Blue Ocean
Strategy
Compete in existing market space
Creates uncontested market
space
“Beat the competition”
Makes the competition irrelevant:
All Kingdom partners succeed
Exploit existing demand
Creates and capture new demand
Make the value/cost trade off
Breaks the value/cost trade off
(e.g. Starbucks)
Strategy Canvas For InterVarsity Values
Church
Partnership
Planting /
Expansion
Life as Worship
Gender
Equality
Expository
Preaching
Training
Student
Leadership
Discipleship of
the Mind
Urban Care
Missions
Evangelism
Social Justice
Multi-ethnicity
Low
High
A strategy canvas is a visual tool which maps the level of
commitment/identification with certain “industry” standards
which are believed to define success for that industry.
Ordinances
Arts
Expression
Small Group
Interaction
Prayer
Cultural
Diversity
After Program
Outlets
Campus Vision
Service
Opportunities
Training
Social Outlet
Message
Access to
Other Facets
Worship
Low
High
Example Strategy Canvas: Weekly Meetings
InterVarsity Meetings
Other Campus Group
Meetings
Ordinances
Arts
Expression
Small Group
Interaction
Prayer
Cultural
Diversity
After Program
Outlets
Campus Vision
Service
Opportunities
Training
Social Outlet
Message
Access to
Other Facets
Worship
Low
High
Example Strategy Canvas: Weekly Meetings
InterVarsity Meetings
Church Services
Ordinances
Arts
Expression
Small Group
Interaction
Prayer
Cultural
Diversity
After Program
Outlets
Campus Vision
Service
Opportunities
Training
Social Outlet
Message
Access to
Other Facets
Worship
Low
High
Example Strategy Canvas: Weekly Meetings
InterVarsity Meetings
Church Growth Services
Example Strategy Canvas: Weekly Meetings
High
InterVarsity Meetings vs. Competitors
Ordinances
Arts
Expression
Small Group
Interaction
Prayer
Cultural
Diversity
After Program
Outlets
Campus Vision
Service
Opportunities
Training
Social Outlet
Message
Access to
Other Facets
Worship
Low
Most campus groups are
different from non-traditional
“church growth services” but are
different largely in the same way.
Ordinances
Arts
Expression
Small Group
Interaction
Prayer
Cultural
Diversity
After Program
Outlets
Campus Vision
Service
Opportunities
Training
Social Outlet
Message
Access to
Other Facets
Worship
Low
High
Example Strategy Canvas: Weekly Meetings
Do these marginal distinctives provide value innovation to the campus and
reach “non-customers?”
Four Action Framework: Example Saturation Evangelism
Reduce
1. Attractional elements that
are consumerist in nature.
Factors we typically measure but can be reduced to
create a Blue Ocean Strategy
1. The dependency on one
monolithic outreach gathering.
2. The dependency on pricy
artists/speakers.
2. Gimmicky/self-focused
messages
Eliminate
Factors we measure that should be eliminated to
create a Blue Ocean Strategy
1. Gospel-centric evangelistic
preaching.
2. Commitment to Kingdom
values and social action in an
evangelistic context.
New
Value
Curve
Raise
Factors we typically measure but should be raised
to create a Blue Ocean Strategy
Create
Factors we have never measured that should be
created to create a Blue Ocean Strategy
1. Partnerships with non-Christian
organizations.
2. Multiple team/multiple mode
approach to tap into
focused/niche student markets.
A Decision to Reach More for Christ
Does our ministry have focus?
Reduce
What can you reduce to focus
on reaching more for Christ?
Have we differentiated
ourselves from other ministry
offerings?
Value Innovation:
Do we have
a compelling
1. Focus
Eliminate
What can
you
raise
for the
tagline
and
who
does
it appeal 2. Divergence
purpose of reaching more for
to?
3. Compelling
Christ?
Create
What can you create for the
purpose of reaching more for
Christ?
We should Tagline
be willing to do
everything short of sin to
Raise
reach
lost people for Christ!
What can you raise for the purpose
of reaching more for Christ?
FOCUS/DIVERGENCE/TAGLINE
Focus: When we lack focus, our ministry model will be
complex and difficult to execute.
Divergence: When we lack divergence, our ministry will
be a “me-too” model, offering no reason to attract
Christians or non-Christians.
Compelling Tagline: When we lack a compelling tagline,
our ministry will be internally driven or be driven by
innovation for innovation’s sake with little or no market
value or brand recognition.
Reconstruct Ministry Boundaries by:
1.Looking Across Alternative Industries: What can we
learn and import from non-ministry and non-parachurch
ministries to reconstruct
what campus
ministry Ocean
Four
Principles
of Developing
a Blue
looks like?
Strategy: #1
2.Look Across Strategic Groups Within Industries:
What can we learn from those who are leading in a
variety of industries? What can we learn not only from
Willow Creek, Campus Crusade, and Joel Osteen
but from Starbucks, Google, Wachovia, and Pulte?
Reconstruct Ministry Boundaries by:
3.Look Across the Chain of Students: On too many campuses,
church and para-church groups converge around a common
definition of who our target is.
Many times, it is either assumed who the target is or no
thought is given at all making the target everyone.
This keeps us from focusing our efforts and dilutes our ability
to reach anyone.
4.Look Across Complementary Product/Service Offerings:
How does the classroom, the fraternity, or the student center
entertainment offerings relate to what we are trying to achieve?
Reconstruct Ministry Boundaries by:
5.Look Across Functional and Emotional Appeal to Students:
What functionality do we offer to student life and what is our
emotional brand associated with the things that we do and our
presence on campus?
6.Look Across Time: Don’t just respond to the differing needs
of student groups on campus but help to shape them over time.
Redefine what the role of faith on campus should look like
overall. Think about the range of needs/desires students have
during their entire college career.
From Head to Head Competition to Blue Ocean Creation
Red Ocean
Other Ministries
Strategic Groups
Student Groups
Blue Ocean
Focuses on rivals within
Looks across alternative
ministry
industries
Focuses on competitive
Looks across strategic
position with strategic group
groups within industry
Focuses on better serving the Redefines the target group of
existing students being served
students
Focus on the Big Picture, Not the Numbers:
1.Drawing your strategy canvas for your entire campus
and individually for your ministry offerings will help you
visually
to see:
Four
Principles
of Developing a Blue Ocean
a) The profile of all Strategy:
campus ministries
#2
b)The profile of your ministry and how it compares to
current offerings.
c)Which factors to invest in and which ones to
eliminate or reduce
Focus on the Big Picture, Not the Numbers:
2.Developing and communicating your strategy canvases with and
to leaders will help others see the problem and the potential for
solutions and a visual way.
3.Developing several potential strategy canvases will allow others
to participate communally and contribute ideas in a structured
and fun way.
4.After all strategy canvases are complete, have a canvas fair.
Have each team or student also create a compelling tagline
associated with the canvas. The tagline should be a
compelling functional and emotional reason why students
should want to join your group.
Focus on the Big Picture, Not the Numbers:
5.An accompanying “Four Action” grid should accompany all
canvases spelling out clearly the costs associated with the
strategy
Reduce
Factors we typically measure but
can be reduced to create a Blue
Ocean Strategy
Eliminate
Create
Factors we measure that should
be eliminated to create a Blue
Ocean Strategy
Factors we have never measured
that should be created to create a
Blue Ocean Strategy
Raise
Factors we typically measure but
should be raised to create a Blue
Ocean Strategy
Reach Beyond Existing Demand:
1.Don’t focus on existing students who are in or are
likely to join campus ministries. Untapped groups may
include
certain ethnicof
groups
on campus not
Four
Principles
Developing
abeing
Blue Ocean
served, faculty/staff, non-Churched but spiritual
Strategy:
#3adoptees (e.g.
people, artists, unconventional
lifestyle
gaming community)…
2.Don’t focus on merely bringing greater
service to existing students-look outward!
Reach Beyond Existing Demand:
3.Understand the 3 Tiers of Non-Customers:
a)First Tier: Students who are in our groups but
would jump ship if the opportunity came along.
These are Soon-to-Be Non-Customers
First Tier
Our
Market
Second
Tier
b)Second Tier: Students who consciously
choose against involvement in our
campus ministry or campus ministry in
general:
These are Refusing
Non-Customers.
Reach Beyond Existing Demand:
3.Understand the 3 Tiers of Non-Customers:
Third
Tier
First Tier
Our
Market
Second
Tier
c)Third Tier: These are students who are in
demographics distant from campus ministry.
They are usually not thought of consciously
by our or other campus groups and/or
churches. These are
Unexplored Non-Customers
Reach Beyond Existing Demand:
4.Start with thinking about the Biggest Group of Unreached Students
Get the Strategic Sequence Right:
Four Principles of Developing a Blue Ocean
Strategy: #4
Value to Students
Cost
Is there exceptional
student value to your
strategy?
Can you execute your
strategy with the
resources you have?
Yes
NoRethink
Yes
A Potential Blue
Ocean Opportunity!
Price
Adoption
Is your target audience
able and willing to pay
the price to “buy-in?”
What are the hurdles to
students and can you
overcome them?
Yes
No-Rethink
NoRethink
Yes
No-Rethink