Six Paths Framework
The Six Paths Framework, from Kim & Mauborgne's Blue Ocean Strategy, is a structured way to discover blue oceans by systematically looking across (1) alternative industries, (2) strategic groups within an industry, (3) the chain of buyers, (4) complementary products and services, (5) functional vs emotional appeal, and (6) trends over time. Each path is a lens for finding non-customers and unmet needs that the current industry doesn't see. Most companies look only at direct competitors (Path 0). The Six Paths force you to look at substitutes, adjacent groups, influencers vs users, ecosystem, the rational/emotional axis, and the future trajectory. Use Six Paths BEFORE the Strategy Canvas — it's the discovery engine.
The Trap
The trap is treating Six Paths as a brainstorming menu where you pick the easiest path. Most teams default to Path 4 (complementary products) because it's a feature exercise — 'let's add X to our product.' But the most powerful blue oceans usually come from Path 1 (looking across alternative industries — what people use INSTEAD of your category) and Path 3 (chain of buyers — selling to influencers instead of users, or vice versa). Path 6 (trends) is also under-used because it requires patience: identifying a trend now that won't reshape the market for 3-5 years.
What to Do
Run a Six Paths workshop in two days: Day 1, generate 10+ ideas per path with cross-functional team. Day 2, score each idea against three criteria: (a) does it target non-customers? (b) does it require us to play a different game, not the same game better? (c) is the time-to-revenue under 18 months? Pick the top 3 ideas, build Strategy Canvases for each, then commit to one. The discipline is to NOT default to Path 0 (direct competitors) — that's the red ocean trap.
In Practice
Nintendo Wii (2006) used Path 1 (look across alternative industries). The video game industry was racing toward Path 0 — better graphics, more horsepower, more violent games (PS3, Xbox 360). Nintendo looked at what families and seniors did INSTEAD of gaming: watched TV, exercised, played board games. The Wii's motion controls and family titles (Wii Sports, Wii Fit) targeted these non-gamers. Result: 101M units sold, outselling PS3 and Xbox 360 combined despite weaker hardware. Nintendo found a blue ocean by looking outside the gaming industry's own walls.
Pro Tips
- 01
Path 3 (chain of buyers) is the most underused. In B2B especially, the buyer is rarely the user — the procurement officer signs the contract, but the analyst uses the tool. Companies that flip the buyer (Slack selling to teams instead of IT, Figma selling to designers instead of CIOs) often unlock blue oceans.
- 02
Path 5 (functional vs emotional) is a goldmine in commoditized industries. Watches were functional → Swatch made them emotional. Coffee was functional → Starbucks made it emotional. Office chairs were functional → Herman Miller Aeron made them emotional/status. The reverse also works: Make Up For Ever stripped emotional artistry from cosmetics and made it functional/professional.
- 03
Path 6 (trends) only works for trends that are: (a) decisive in direction, (b) irreversible, and (c) have a clear trajectory. 'AI is rising' is not a Path 6 trend — it's a buzzword. 'Remote work is becoming structural' was a usable Path 6 trend in 2018 — clear direction, irreversible, predictable trajectory.
Myth vs Reality
Myth
“Six Paths replaces customer research”
Reality
Six Paths replaces COMPETITOR research as the starting point of strategy. You still need customer (and non-customer) research — but you research the people Six Paths reveals, not the people your industry currently serves. The framework changes WHO you research, not whether you research.
Myth
“All six paths are equally fertile”
Reality
In any given industry, typically 2-3 paths are actively fertile and 3-4 are dead ends. Path 1 (alternative industries) is fertile when there are abundant substitutes. Path 6 (trends) is fertile when there's a clear, irreversible shift. The skill is identifying which paths are alive in your industry, not running all six mechanically.
Try it
Run the numbers.
Pressure-test the concept against your own knowledge — answer the challenge or try the live scenario.
Knowledge Check
A traditional taxi company is looking for blue oceans. Which Six Paths analysis would have most likely identified the Uber/Lyft opportunity in 2008?
Industry benchmarks
Is your number good?
Calibrate against real-world tiers. Use these ranges as targets — not absolutes.
Six Paths Productivity by Path (Frequency of Blue Ocean Discoveries)
Approximate frequency distribution from Blue Ocean case researchPath 1 (Alternative Industries)
~28% of cases
Path 3 (Chain of Buyers)
~22% of cases
Path 6 (Trends)
~18% of cases
Path 5 (Functional/Emotional)
~14% of cases
Path 2 (Strategic Groups)
~10% of cases
Path 4 (Complementary)
~8% of cases
Source: Kim & Mauborgne, Blue Ocean Strategy (2005), supplementary research
Real-world cases
Companies that lived this.
Verified narratives with the numbers that prove (or break) the concept.
Nintendo Wii
2006-2009
While Sony and Microsoft raced down Path 0 (compete on graphics, processing power, online play), Nintendo applied Path 1 — look at alternative industries. They studied what families and seniors did INSTEAD of gaming: TV, exercise, board games. The Wii's motion controls and party-game format targeted these non-gamers. They also leveraged Path 5 — moved gaming from a teen-male emotional appeal to a family social emotional appeal. Wii Sports came bundled to demonstrate the new value curve immediately.
Lifetime Sales
101.6M units
PS3 Lifetime Sales
87.4M units
Xbox 360 Lifetime Sales
84M units
Hardware Cost
Lower than competitors (sold profitably from launch)
Nintendo won the generation by looking at alternative industries (Path 1) and shifting the emotional/functional axis (Path 5). Sony and Microsoft saw each other as the competition; Nintendo saw the 70% of the population that didn't game.
Salesforce
1999-2005
Salesforce applied Path 1 (alternative industries — looked at what SMBs used instead of CRM: spreadsheets, paper) and Path 3 (chain of buyers — sold to sales reps, not CIOs). Siebel and Oracle CRM sold to enterprise IT departments through 18-month implementations. Salesforce flipped the buyer to the line-of-business sales manager who could sign up with a credit card. The 'No Software' tagline encoded both paths in three syllables.
Revenue (1999)
$0
Revenue (2005)
$309M
Implementation Time
Days vs Siebel's 18 months
Buyer
Sales VP (not CIO)
Salesforce's blue ocean came from Path 3 — flipping the chain of buyers. The product wasn't dramatically better than Siebel; the BUYER was different, which changed everything about pricing, deployment, and adoption.
Related concepts
Keep connecting.
The concepts that orbit this one — each one sharpens the others.
Beyond the concept
Turn Six Paths Framework into a live operating decision.
Use this concept as the framing layer, then move into a diagnostic if it maps directly to a current bottleneck.
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Turn Six Paths Framework into a live operating decision.
Use Six Paths Framework as the framing layer, then move into diagnostics or advisory if this maps directly to a current business bottleneck.