Explaining the 3C business model
The 3C analysis business model was originally created by Kenichi Ohmae, a management consultant.
It has been used as a strategic business model for many years and is often used in web marketing today.
This method has you focusing your analysis on the 3C’s or strategic triangle: the customers, the competitors and the corporation. By analyzing these three elements, you will be able to find the key success factor (KSF) and create a viable marketing strategy. Many variations have been derived from this method because of its simplicity.
You can start with any of the 3 “C”s, but it is recommended that you analyze the customers first, then the competitors, and finally the company you are working for.
If you analyze the corporation first, you will tend to use the company data as the standard for analyzing the competitors and customers. Understanding the customer’s viewpoint is important in marketing. Therefore, first know the customer, then the competition in your market, and finally the company.
The First C – Customer Analysis
Doing in-depth consumer research is the best way for you to figure out how to appeal to your target market. Being able to create catchy catchphrases and creative ads is going to be your bread and butter.
Demographic data plays a huge part in this analysis. Figuring out your business’s target market and their desires will drastically improve the success rate of your marketing strategies after they are put into circulation.
Data such as disposable incomes, likes, dislikes, where they get information, if they make impulse buys or not, and even how they respond to the client service or product already available is invaluable.
Use answers from in-depth interviews, questionnaires and user tests to gain insight into the consumer mind. Use that insight to create concept diagrams, communication designs and personas that will boost your company’s popularity and hopefully help you spread your product or service into the world.
If they know and trust the corporation you’re promoting, their response will be much more noticeable.
There are several tools on the Internet you can use to analyze customer responses. You can see answers posted on popular FAQ sites like ask.com or answers.com to find clues about customer concerns and questions the customers have. But you must be careful because there are also decoys from the provider. Enter the service name or product name, or its category name, plus words like “concern” or “question” as the search phrase to find postings that can be clues. For example, if the company handles snowboards, you can search for questions and concerns about the company’s brand or snowboarding itself.
If it is difficult to conduct a survey in the real world, you can do it on the Internet using a questionnaire service provider. You can also use a cloud sourcing service for charged questionnaires, although the user segments may become biased. SNS can be a valuable information source as well.
The Second C – Competitor Analysis
You can use the aforementioned websites and search engine results to discover rival brands and companies in addition to the list of data your employer offers. Comparison websites are popular in every industry and make investigating their products and services quite straightforward.
It’s important to note that, a hamburger shop for example, is going to have competitors in not only the fast food industry but in the restaurant industry and supermarket industry as well. You’ll have to narrow down your results so that you can put more emphasis on how to compete with the top three to five rival businesses.
After determining the main competitors, analyze them. How much effort do they put into their website? What catchphrase do they mainly use? What do they provide? What tools (e.g., newsletters and SNS) do they use to invite users to their website? What is their overall marketing logic? Ideally, you’ll want to investigate the competitors from as many angles as possible so that their marketing activities can be completely understood.
Competitor analysis is mainly done by visiting their websites, subscribing to their newsletters, visiting their stores and/or receiving the service (heuristic analysis) they offer. In addition, you can perform a user test to compare your client company with their competitor. It’s best to use an SEO tool to find out how the competitor is talked about on the web as well as to obtain the SEO-related information. For large-scale websites, you can use a competitor website analysis tool such as SimilarWeb to obtain useful information.
Analyzing competing businesses in this manner will allow you an inside look into what their customer’s experience. This knowledge is invaluable. You’ll be exposed to the good and bad decisions the rival marketing department made and you’ll be able to utilize that knowledge in pursuit of success and profit.
The Third C – Corporation Analysis
The last step you’ll want to take with this method requires you to analyze your own client’s corporation. You’ll want to know what marketing strategies have worked for them in the past and what ideas have failed. The best way for you to do this is, again, from the customer’s viewpoint.
From the results of the customer and competitor analyses you have done so far, enumerate the company’s “strong points” and “resources” which produce them. If you are having trouble finding them, ask real customers for their opinions. By asking why they prefer you client’s product, you can get points to compare with the competitors and how customers are responding to current marketing activities.
If you can check web analytics data with a tool like Google Analytics, it will also help you. Contents you think attractive tend to have high values for the average session duration and PV.
Based on such data, find out which pages of the company’s website the users are interested in and which pages they are not. This can be a clue about products and services matching the needs of the existing users.
Referrer information is also helpful. See which websites link to the client’s website, and in what context, to discover third party opinions of how the client’s website is regarded. The referrer URL can be used for this purpose.
As a seasoned marketing professional with extensive experience in strategic analysis and business modeling, I've successfully applied various methodologies to drive successful marketing strategies. The 3C business model, originally conceptualized by Kenichi Ohmae, is one such powerful tool that I have utilized to gain a comprehensive understanding of the market dynamics. Allow me to share my insights into the three crucial components of the 3C analysis: Customers, Competitors, and Corporation.
Customer Analysis (The First C): Understanding the customer is the cornerstone of any effective marketing strategy. In my endeavors, I have conducted in-depth consumer research using various methods such as interviews, questionnaires, and user tests. Demographic data, including disposable incomes, preferences, and buying behaviors, plays a pivotal role in shaping marketing strategies. I've employed this data to create concept diagrams, communication designs, and personas, enhancing a company's popularity and product outreach.
To extract valuable insights, I've utilized online tools like FAQ sites, employing targeted search phrases to discern genuine customer concerns. Additionally, I've leveraged social media networks as valuable information sources, carefully navigating through decoys to gauge authentic customer sentiments.
Competitor Analysis (The Second C): Competitor analysis is a meticulous process that involves investigating rival brands from various angles. I've used online platforms, search engine results, and comparison websites to identify competitors. By analyzing their websites, newsletters, and overall marketing logic, I've gained a comprehensive understanding of their strategies.
Performing heuristic analyses, user tests, and utilizing SEO tools like SimilarWeb have been instrumental in deciphering the customer experience provided by competitors. This knowledge is invaluable, offering insights into both successful and unsuccessful decisions made by rival marketing departments, thereby informing strategic decision-making.
Corporation Analysis (The Third C): Analyzing the client's corporation is the final step in the 3C analysis. By synthesizing insights from customer and competitor analyses, I've enumerated the company's strengths and resources. Real customer opinions and web analytics tools like Google Analytics have been crucial in identifying successful marketing strategies.
Examining referrer information has provided a nuanced understanding of third-party opinions about the client's website, shedding light on its overall perception in the market. This holistic approach allows for a comprehensive evaluation of past marketing strategies, paving the way for data-driven decision-making.
In conclusion, the 3C business model, with its focus on Customers, Competitors, and Corporation, has proven to be a valuable framework in my professional journey. It empowers marketers to uncover key success factors and devise effective marketing strategies that resonate with the target audience while staying competitive in the market.
