Strategy

Company Name

Example “Motel Six”

Organization within the company

Example “Motel Division”. (note: If your company is diverse like Apple, it is advised to analyze a specific segment/business unit/product because competitors in the iPhone segment (Samsung/Google) are very different than competitors in their Music division (Spotify, Pandora)

Industry

Example “Hospitality Industry”

Market Size

Provide a market size estimate for the Industry or the Playing Field

Recommended Playing Field

Example: “Two-star motels in the US and Canada serving road travelers.” (note: this is the specific description of the segment of the industry in which you will compete. These often have geographic boundaries and descriptors of the key product attributes.)

Rationale for Recommended Playing Field

Brief explanation of why you selected this segment. (Note: we usually determine target segments based on factors like revenue potential, growth rates, financial attractiveness, conformance with our key capabilities and competencies, our ability to meet this segment’s customer needs, etc.)

Size

Provide information on the relative size of this competitor in the Playing Field. if specific data is not available, a qualitative description is acceptable like "Company X is believed to be the market leader" or "Company Y is relatively small and focused only in the US and doesn't have a presence in Canada."

Most Significant Strength

Highlight their biggest strength, and briefly explain how it helps them compete effectively.

Most Significant Weakness

Highlight their biggest weakness, and briefly explain how it hinders their ability to compete effectively.

Recent Performance

Explain whether they are generally winning or losing in this Playing Field. Note, you would be well-served to support your conclusions with data

Major Developments?

Has the competitor introduced any game-changing new products, technologies, capabilities, etc. (focus on revolutionary and not evolutionary). Have they developed (or lost) a key competitive advantage?

Size

Provide information on the relative size of this competitor in the Playing Field – qualitative perspective is acceptable if data is not available

Most Significant Strength

Highlight their biggest strength, and briefly explain how it helps them compete effectively.

Most Significant Weakness

Highlight their biggest weakness, and briefly explain how it hinders their ability to compete effectively.

Recent Performance

Explain whether they are generally winning or losing in this Playing Field. Note, you would be well-served to support your conclusions with data.

Major Developments?

Has the competitor introduced any game-changing new products, technologies, capabilities, etc. (focus on revolutionary and not evolutionary). Have they developed (or lost) a key competitive advantage?

Size

Provide information on our relative size in the Playing Field – qualitative perspective is acceptable if data is not available

Most Significant Strength

Highlight our biggest strength, and briefly explain how it helps us compete effectively.

Most Significant Weakness

Highlight our biggest weakness, and briefly explain how it hinders our ability to compete effectively.

Recent Performance

Explain whether we are generally winning or losing in this Playing Field. Note, you would be well-served to support your conclusions with data.

Major Developments?

Have we introduced any game-changing new products, technologies, capabilities, etc. (focus on revolutionary and not evolutionary). Have we developed (or lost) a key competitive advantage?