Where to Play

Definition of Where to Play in the Anatomy of Marketing (AoM), covering market selection, strategic focus, and how businesses choose which competitive arenas to compete in.

What is it?

Where to Play is the strategic decision about which markets, geographies, customer segments, product categories, and channels a business will compete in. It is the first of two integrated choices in competitive strategy: it defines the arena before the business determines how it will win within it.

Also known as: Market Selection, Strategic Focus, Competitive Arena

Why it matters

Choosing where to play is as much about what a business will not do as what it will. Without a clear decision, resources are spread across too many markets and segments to build a meaningful competitive position in any of them. Most businesses that struggle with differentiation have not failed to create something distinctive: they have tried to be distinctive in too many places at once.

When it matters most

Where to Play becomes critical when entering a new market, launching a new product or service category, or when a business has grown opportunistically and needs to rationalise its focus. It is also a necessary starting point for brand strategy: a brand cannot be positioned meaningfully until the business has decided which customers and contexts it is positioning for.

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AoM Connected Tools

Playing to Win Framework

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