Preventing blue ocean from turning into red ocean: A case study of a room escape game

Abstract

The weariness of competitive business environment has made it one of the hot topics of recent business management literature to find ways to escape from the intense Red Ocean by creating a Blue Ocean where there is no competition. Rene and Mauborgne’s Blue Ocean Strategy (2004) provides a reasonable solution for this issue. Blue Ocean Strategy studies demonstrate that every blue ocean will eventually turn red due to fast entries into the market and the literature leaves a gap in understanding how blue ocean could be turned into blue again after it becomes red. This study addresses this void specifically by exploring the practices of a room escape organization of a new-born entertainment sector showing how they could manage to create their second blue ocean after experiencing their blue ocean turning into red. It is aimed at contributing to Blue Ocean Strategy with a case study in which the process of creating a blue ocean is traced; its immediate turning into red and achieving to become blue again is analysed. This study illustrates the ease of application of Blue Ocean Strategy in practice with the case study of a room escape game organisation. This study aims to generate insights for future research for managers, academics, innovators, entrepreneurs and policy makers who are interested in creating their sustainable blue ocean with innovative moves by presenting a solid case analysis.