Blue Ocean

Perth, Ontario:
Came across an idea about how to promote yourself. It is the notion of "blue ocean".

The opposite is "red ocean" - this is a space where you compete against many other competitors who are competing with you in this space. Since there is so many competitors competing for scarce dollars - someone has to bleed - resulting in a "red ocean".

What if you could invent a space for yourself, where you detail what makes you completely different from your competitors, so much so you are competing in a "ble ocean" - no competitors - no blood.

Take the case of Perth:
It has a lot of heritage buildings - so does many other nearby towns
It is deemed the prettiest town in Ontario - so many other towns claim the same thing

How about Perth as a lifestyle centre? What is a lifestyle center? In the US they are constructing simulations of a small town downtown. They build it will heritage looking buildings, use ornamental lighting, decorate with plants and flowers, have lots of green spaces, sidewalk cafes, music, art, Farmers' Market, etc. People are flocking to these new centres. Why? They are tiring of the same-old same-old malls and big box farms, and are looking for a return to where shopping was a little slower paced, and enjoyable.

Now Perth has all of these, but with an important set of differences that sets it apart in a 'blue ocean' - it is NOT a simulation - it is a real heritage town where the building from the 1800's are preserved and restored. Secondly the place is NOT a disquise for the same-old same-old stores you find in the malls - it truly has almost 80 unique shops and resturants in the Downown heritage Core - and almost all of them are the mon and pop stores, where the owner is in the store, knows his/her products, can actually tell you something about the products and can ensure they are very different, top quality, and good value.

All Perth needs to do is - run to the front of the crowd and yell "follow me".

Wouldn't You Rather Shop here? http://shop-heritage-perth.com