A leading food company that dominated a specific product category it supplied to commercial markets in North American suddenly found itself losing market share to a recent European entrant. Surprisingly, the rival was attacking our client’s core business, exposing its soft underbelly and jolting the client out its feelings of invulnerability about a market it had invented. Through a war game, carefully prepared and conducted by Fuld + Company, the client felt the full force of the competitive threat and explored strategic moves and countermoves. Subsequently, the company implemented the strategic recommendations that we extracted from the exercise, enabling them to defend their biggest market.

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A Food Company
Mobilizes to Fend
Off a Major Threat
to its Core Business
CASE STUDY

2. A FOOD COMPANY MOBILIZES TO FEND OFF A MAJOR THREAT TO ITS CORE BUSINESS WWW.FULD.COM
Food Fight
Company Overview
A leading food company that dominated a specific product category it
supplied to commercial markets in North American suddenly found itself
losing market share to a recent European entrant. Surprisingly, the rival
was attacking our client’s core business, exposing its soft underbelly and
jolting the client out its feelings of invulnerability about a market it had
invented. Through a war game, carefully prepared and conducted by Fuld
+ Company, the client felt the full force of the competitive threat and
explored strategic moves and countermoves. Subsequently, the company
implemented the strategic recommendations that we extracted from the
exercise, enabling them to defend their biggest market.

3. A FOOD COMPANY MOBILIZES TO FEND OFF A MAJOR THREAT TO ITS CORE BUSINESS WWW.FULD.COM
A Hydra-Headed Monster
Key Business Challenges
The new entrant brought a daunting array of weapons to the battle. Its superior
processing technology promised longer shelf like, lower transportation costs, and a
healthier product. Its approach to promotion bundled the product, at little extra
cost to customers, with one of its most popular products. The rival also built
facilities in strategic locations to accelerate the velocity of its market entry. They
customized their offerings and provided customers with greater ease of use of the
product.

4. A FOOD COMPANY MOBILIZES TO FEND OFF A MAJOR THREAT TO ITS CORE BUSINESS WWW.FULD.COM
Beware the Comfortable Zone
Key Business Challenges
Because the client company had been so
successful decade after decade, the threat
caught them by surprise. And because they
had prospered without ever having had to
fundamentally alter any aspect of the
business, they also found themselves
behind in critical areas like marketing and
technology.
COMFORT
ZONE
AHEAD

5. A FOOD COMPANY MOBILIZES TO FEND OFF A MAJOR THREAT TO ITS CORE BUSINESS WWW.FULD.COM
Gaming Out How to Disrupt the Disruptors
The Fuld Approach
Using carefully prepared briefing books and proven strategic frameworks for
analyzing competitors, we conducted a rigorous and comprehensive war game.
Two dozen product managers were divided into three teams – the client company
and two separate teams representing the competitor. Over the course of several
sessions each team:
 Developed a strategy for the coming 12-18 months
 Reacted to several disruptive scenarios
 Identified key strategic issues
 Rationalized into four key areas

6. A FOOD COMPANY MOBILIZES TO FEND OFF A MAJOR THREAT TO ITS CORE BUSINESS WWW.FULD.COM
Action on All Fronts
Key Business Impact
Following the war game, we worked with the client to develop a strategic action
plan, which they are now implementing. This comprehensive plan includes:
 Aggressively pursuing new technology
 Improving and increasing customer
training to retain existing accounts,
capture new ones, and win back
defectors
 Broadening the product portfolio to
offer greater variety and packaging
options
 Introducing sales policies that enable
customers to sign on with the client
more easily
The company is now fully engaged in
fending off the competitor on all fronts.

7. A FOOD COMPANY MOBILIZES TO FEND OFF A MAJOR THREAT TO ITS CORE BUSINESS WWW.FULD.COM
Heeding the Wake-Up Call
The Fuld Review
Many companies we work with are leaders in
their market and in some cases virtually
invented it, as this client had done. But
because these incumbents have been so
successful, they often do not take competitive
threats seriously until a threat blossoms into a
full-blown problem like loss of market share.
War games can have a bracing effect.
In this case, the client was surprised to find
that they had some serious blind spots in
critical areas, including pricing, innovation,
and customer intimacy. The rigorous
strategic exercise of the war game not only
surfaced the most viable strategies but
created a deeply felt sense of urgency among
participants – a visceral as well as an analytical
engagement with the challenge.

8. A FOOD COMPANY MOBILIZES TO FEND OFF A MAJOR THREAT TO ITS CORE BUSINESS WWW.FULD.COM
Think a similar solution could
work for your organization?
CONTACT US
fuld.com/solutions

9. A FOOD COMPANY MOBILIZES TO FEND OFF A MAJOR THREAT TO ITS CORE BUSINESS WWW.FULD.COM
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AMERICA
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About Fuld + Company
WHO WE ARE
Since 1979 Fuld + Company have pioneered competitive
intelligence, and today we work with leading companies
worldwide to deliver the competitive and market insights they
need to make better business decisions. We don’t rest on our
history and past successes. This means working hard to
deliver uncompromising analysis that generates sound advice
and earns us enduring partnerships with our clients.
WHY CHOOSE US
We are driven to expose our clients to insights about their
industry, their competition and a changing market; designed
to help avoid surprises and industry shocks. Through deep
research, penetrating analysis and strategic gaming + advisory
expertise, our team of professionals help you identify and
solve tactical and strategic challenges. We help reduce the
risks associated with business-critical decision making.
COMPETITIVE + MARKET INTELLIGENCE
Competitive + Brand Insights
War Games / Competitive Simulations
Market Analysis, Share + Sizing
Supply Chain Mapping
GO-TO-MARKET STRATEGY
Brand + Product Positioning / Launch Support
Product Portfolio Roadmap
New Market Entry / Segmentation
Value Chain Analysis
Life Cycle Management
Win / Loss Bid Support
CORPORATE STRATEGIC PLANNING
Early Warning + Scenario Planning
Sales Force Effectiveness
Merger/Acquisition + Licensing
Innovation Strategy
Business Model / Industry Convergence