Art of Marketing
Chapter 15. Executing the “fastest and most” strategy
Action is the foundational key to all success. — Pablo Picasso
Nathan Bedford Forrest was secretly recommended
and later became a cavalry general
for the Confederate army during the Civil War.
His unconventional approaches to the war allowed him
to achieve a series of unprecedented victories in Confederate forces.
One of his favorite approaches is “fastest and most.”
He gathered all the troops
and put all his strength into combat readiness
before the enemy discovered the plan.
He also continuously moved his forces
to deceive the enemy
but then regrouped them at the key location,
where he always won the upper hand
over the North Vietnamese army.
In marketing,
this refers to the strategy of developing a superior product
or service and then bringing it to market in bulk,
even before your competitors know what’s going on.
This strategy aims for market leadership,
allowing you to be at the fore
front of your market segment.
It is not only a high-risk strategy,
but also a strategy that offers the highest return.
The “fastest and most” strategy is the ideal choice
for a new product or service
with a distinct competitive advantage
or uniqueness
that distinguishes it from any other product
or service being offered in the market at the time.
This strategy allows you
to gain instant market advantage
using two of the most powerful strategic principles:
surprise and boom.
If you have got a dream and you’ve got ambition,
then go for it.
You know,
unless you try,
you’ll never know. — Eddie the Eagle
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Principle of surprise
As described in chapter 13,
the principle of surprise in war
is to take actions that take the enemy by surprise.
There are many ways to apply the principle of business surprise,
such as aggregating existing products
to create new and valuable offers,
or subdividing products to fit them more
in the pocket of many customers.
Sometimes, companies gain an advantage
by abandoning one market entirely
and focusing all their resources on a completely different market
—just as General Forrest has deployed his armies
to places where the enemy unexpected.
Unfortunately, many leaders underestimate the principle
of surprise in their own companies
by creating an environment that punishes risk taking.
If your manager or employee is afraid to do new things
because they are never allowed to fail,
your company will have little chance
of surprising competitors.
If the fire in your heart is strong enough,
it will burn away any obstacles that come your way. — Suzy Kassem
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Explosion Principle
The boom principle involves taking every advantage of winning.
Military commanders will immediately take advantage
of any breakthrough or advantage,
pouring all their energy into the opening phase
to help them achieve a decisive victory.
This approach should also be applied in business:
Any immediate breakthrough should be followed
by a coordinated action,
whether that means increased focus on new customers
or starting a business
with new product development program
based on a successful product
that has already been introduced to the market.
It is a grand thing to rise in the world.
The ambition to do so is the very salt of the earth.
It is the parent of all enterprise,
and the cause of all improvement. — Anthony Trollope
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Apple’s Strategy
Apple is a prime example of a successful “fastest and most” strategy.
Every time Apple announces a new product
or improves upon an existing one,
it covers the market with a veil of secrecy
that makes the whole world anxiously watch and wait.
Then, overnight,
the new product will be widely rolled out.
Using this strategy with the iPhone 5S and 5C,
Apple sold more than 9 million units in the 72 hours
after the announcement,
bringing in billions of dollars in revenue and profit,
leaving its major rivals behind be surprised.
How do you use the “earliest and most” strategy
to introduce your new product or service
to the entire market almost overnight?
Competitors are watching you.
How do you “trick” them spectacularly?
It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting. — Paulo Coelho
