An outline of our point of view on doing competitor strategy well as well as examples of some of the work we've done with some of the biggest companies in the world.

1. © Copyright Cognosis Limited
Competitor Strategy
What We Do

2. WE’RE A LONDON -BASED
STRATEGY CONSULTANCY
WHAT WE DO
We unlock business potential by creating
strategies that engage leaders and their
teams. For over 18 years, we’ve been
igniting growth across more than 60
countries with some of the world’s most
ambitious companies.
18 85 64
Years Companies Countries

3. WHAT WE BELIEVE
STRATEGY
Building strategies with
clear purpose, rooted in
your reality
LEADERSHIP
Help leaders unlock the
growth potential in their
strategy
MAKE IT HAPPEN
Build belief and
commitment across the
business
GROWTH
“Without strategy, leadership is impossible. Without
leadership, little meaningful change happens.”

4. Competitor Strategy
What we do

5. WHAT WE BELIEVE
It’s often said, but it’s true; we are living in a period of remarkable competition. 50%
of the most turbulent quarters in the last 30 years have come in the last decade. As a
result, a robust competitor strategy has never been more important. Done well,
projects can have a transformative effect on the future of a business. Often though,
they lack the right focus and fail to deliver real impact.
We’ve found three rules for starting competitor strategy projects that work:
Only embark on projects when
there is a critical competitor
threat or disruptive strategic
issue that needs a specific plan
C R E A T E D E E P ,
F O C U S E D I N S I G H T
Challenge your approach to
insights. Don’t do competitor
strategy unless you can bring
new, robust insight to the table
Genuinely think like a competitor,
using a range of methods to
avoid casting your organisation’s
own shadow over your work
F I N D T H E B U R N I N G
P L A T F O R M
W A L K I N C O M P E T I T O R
S H O E S

6. COMPETITOR STRATEGY – WHAT WE DO
Gain insight into a competitor’s strategy, approach & culture by
finding & interviewing experts who have recently left, have deep
insight or have partnered with your target.
Benchmark a function or capability area against a competitive
set by identifying capability gaps, strengths & weakness and,
importantly, implications for the business and team.
Intelligence
War-Gaming
Assess competitor strategy more comprehensively. Taking a
wealth of data points and insight, build a detailed, coherent
and accessible view of the competitor’s strategy.
Scan your category for the most likely sources of disruptive
competition. Examine both your established competitors and
smaller, nimble market disrupters.
Disrupt leadership teams assumptions by walking in the shoes of
competitors, build out likely competitor moves before assessing
implications for your own strategy and priorities.
C A P A B I L I T Y
B E N C H M A R K I N G
C O M P E T I T O R
I N S I G H T
D I S R U P T I O N
S C A N N E R
C O M P E T I T O R
D E E P - D I V E S
C O M P E T I T O R
W A R - G A M I N G

7. First, we analysed competitor positions
in a competitive market, identifying the
top 3 ‘Must Win Battle Grounds’. These
formed the basis of our war- gaming
sessions. From there, 3 strategy types
were created; Offensive, Defensive &
Reactive. These outputs formed the
backbone of the annual strategic
planning process.
We carried out a competitor deep-dive
on a new entrant to the UK paint market,
drawing on a number of sources to build
a comprehensive view of the
competitor’s strategy. This led into a 2
day competitor war –gaming session
with the board, leading to significant
changes to the UK strategy. This
measured response significantly slowed
the new entrant’s growth.
Asian markets were the priority; we
examined successful competitor
launches & development there. We
explored how European competitors
developed the business model, range,
activation & investment approach to
succeed in Asia. This analysis
underpinned Clark’s successful Asian
growth strategy, driving key changes in
business model & route to market.
COMPETITOR STRATEGY – CASE STUDIES
W A R - G A M I N G W A R - G A M I N G
“The Strategic support Cognosis provided has been invaluable. They helped my
leadership team see the market with real clarity leading to the right decisions for the
business. Their approach is underpinned by a unique combination of strategic rigour,
real world pragmatism and a deep understanding of the human side of strategy.”
Matt Pullen - Managing Director, Dulux UK & Ireland
C O M P E T I T O R I N S I G H T

8. COMPETITOR STRATEGY – CASE STUDIES
“Cognosis has a very smart group of people. They really impressed with their
ability to get to the heart of a brief, act speedily, deliver clear, insightful outputs
and ensure the human component of strategy – winning hearts as well as minds -
was at the forefront of the workshops we ran.”
Marsha Lenihan – Director of Strategy, Research and Insights, Three
Diageo’s dominant position in Kenya
was to be challenged by a huge
competitor. We worked with the
executive team to explore how the
target would approach the launch &
built a comprehensive defence
strategy. The programme was a
tangible plan of action that everyone
was behind & it underpinned a
successful defence of a key market.
C O M P E T I T O R I N S I G H T
For the team, we created 4 long-term
future scenarios – 4 different realities
exploring how the Beer market may
develop given changing customer &
consumer perceptions, competitor
landscape, regulation & taxation. The
scenarios were then used to challenge
& build their current strategic plan,
ensuring it was fit for future and
strategically robust.
S C E N A R I O P L A N N I N G
We designed & facilitated a
competitor war gaming approach
with Red Bull Russia to provide tangible
strategic plans for tackling
competitors in the short & longer term.
Working with the client team, we lined
up key battlegrounds, provided clear
scenario plans for each & found clarity
on their impact to Red Bull’s strategy.
W A R - G A M I N G

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