18 CAMBRIDGE MARKETING REVIEW - ISSUE 8 Q2 2014 CHURN By Don Moyer Drawing © Copyright February 2005 Don Moyer. Used with permission. Originally appeared in the Harvard Business Review Panel Discussion column. P eople go to war for many reasons. Protecting freedom, family, or country is generally considered a noble one. Undercutting a competitor is not. The top line is a potent weapon—but one that must be wielded with finesse, not machismo. As a strategy, price cutting can be difficult to sustain; against more efficient competitors, it’s impossible. In his first-rate book Competitive Solutions: The Strategist’s Toolkit, R. Preston McAfee points out that price wars between equals produce injuries on both sides and victory on neither. So launch hostilities only when you’re sure you have an overwhelming advantage and can drive the other guy from the market. Of course, if a competitor attacks, you’ll have to put up your dukes. But in peacetime, it is wiser to invest in areas such as R&D, customer service, and marketing, which justify raising prices, not lowering them. After all, cheap - unlike rich and thin - is something you can be to excess. Don Moyer has collected his series of cartoons as a book, entitled 64 Drawings. It is available from Blurb at www.blurb.com/bookstore/ detail/949041

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People go to war for many reasons. Protecting freedom, family, or country is generally considered a noble one. Undercutting a competitor is not. The top line is a potent weapon—but one that must be wielded with finesse, not machismo.

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18 CAMBRIDGE MARKETING REVIEW - ISSUE 8 Q2 2014

CHURN By Don Moyer

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People go to war for many reasons. Protectingfreedom,family,orcountryisgenerallyconsideredanobleone.Undercutting

acompetitorisnot.Thetoplineisapotentweapon—butonethatmustbewieldedwithfinesse,notmachismo.

Asastrategy,pricecuttingcanbedifficulttosustain;againstmoreefficientcompetitors,it’simpossible.Inhisfirst-ratebookCompetitiveSolutions:TheStrategist’sToolkit,R.PrestonMcAfeepointsoutthatpricewarsbetweenequalsproduceinjuriesonbothsidesandvictoryonneither.Solaunchhostilitiesonlywhenyou’resureyouhaveanoverwhelmingadvantageandcandrivetheotherguyfromthemarket.

Ofcourse,ifacompetitorattacks,you’llhavetoputupyourdukes.Butinpeacetime,itiswisertoinvestinareassuchasR&D,customerservice,andmarketing,whichjustifyraisingprices,notloweringthem.Afterall,cheap-unlikerichandthin-issomethingyoucanbetoexcess.

Don Moyer has collected his series of cartoons as a book, entitled 64 Drawings. It is available from Blurb at www.blurb.com/bookstore/

detail/949041