Question

Discuss the two ways a market challenger can best attack the chosen competitor and achieve its strategic objectives? Explain when a challenger should use these attacks and provide examples of companies that have used these methods.

Answer 1

Discuss the two ways a market challenger can best attack the chosen competitor and achieve its strategic objectives?

A market challenger may either attack in full Frontal attack or in Indirect attack. In the frontal attack, a marketer attack directly by matching its products with that of competitor's products, price, advertisement, distribution, etc. In this type of attack, a market challenger attack it's competitor's strengths rather than its weaknesses. This way it can determine which company has the greater strength and tolerance. A frontal attack would not be effective when a market challenger has a lesser number of resources than that of the competitor so most of the new entrants avoid this attack and opt for an indirect attack. Unlike the frontal attack, this attack is where a market challenger aims to target it's competitor's weaknesses or it's gaps rather than its strengths. Some of the market challengers aim to opt-in for those leadership tactics which its competitors failed to implement. One of the example of a frontal attack is when PepsiCo challenges Coca-Cola and one example of indirect attack is when two European challengers Virgin drinks and Red Bull entered the North American market.

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