The Hedgehog Concept is a strategy for creating a competitive advantage. It comes from Jim Collins' book, Good to Great. Collins tells the parable of the Fox and the Hedgehog, two animals with very different mindsets. (Wikipedia tells me the story's origin comes from The Fox and the Hedgehog, an essay by philosopher Isaiah Berlin.
While the fox relies on his intelligence, agility, and craftiness the hedgehog focuses his attention on doing one thing really well. No matter what the fox does, he is unable to penetrate the hedgehog's defense. The hedgehog isn't fast or cunning, but he can curl up into a little ball covered with spikes. Although it seems the hedgehog is the underdog, the fox is unable to emerge victorious.
With respect to marketing and branding, Collins favors the hedgehog's mentality. Based on some of our previous posts, I bet you can guess where we stand on this debate. Collins suggests a hedgehog concept can be found at the intersection of the answers to the following three questions.
- 1. What are you passionate about?
- 2. What can you be the best in the world at doing?
- 3. What drives your economic engine?
These questions, represented as a Venn diagram, help visualize where the three converge. Collins suggests that arriving smack dab in the center of the rings isn't a one time event, rather it requires re-evaluation and constant revision. To create your first draft, he recommends forming three groups, or councils, and put each one in charge of answering one question. Once the rough model is born, and the overlap is defined, a separate group applies it to the current efforts by asking the following questions.
Then, of course, take action. Performing this exercise prior to launching (or re-launching) a brand strategy or marketing campaign–or working with an agency like Advent Creative–will help you get off on the right foot.