How about a Purple Ocean Strategy approach? Wait what? What does that mean.
Let’s back up….
Just when it seemed like the generative AI landscape was beginning to settle, DeepSeek stepped in and said, “Hold my beer.”
Wall Street seems convinced that China’s generative AI entry will change the game. Still, remember, popular doesn’t mean differentiated.
Yet businesses push their marketing teams to chase trends at breakneck speed. They use generative AI to quickly create content to flood channels with articles and videos optimized for popularity with algorithms instead of audiences.
And that creates an ocean of the most probable content. Note the “most probable” descriptor. Generative AI tools don’t produce “average” content (meaning they don’t return the average of everything they know about a query). They predict the most probable words.
Why does the distinction matter?
Because instead of turning out brilliant new ideas, generative AI Tools mostly deliver slightly repackaged versions of ideas that have already been expressed.
The result? Unique takes struggle to stand out in the resulting ocean of probable content, while popular takes flood the market.
Welcome to the contest for differentiation.
Brands must constantly choose whether to compete in a crowded idea space by creating content that’s already popular in search and social or offer something radically different – ideas no one is talking about yet. I talk about it in this video or keep reading for even more detail.
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Red and blue markets
A decade ago, the book Blue Ocean Strategy made waves (pun intended) by distinguishing between red oceans — crowded, hyper-competitive markets — and blue oceans — untapped, competition-free opportunities.
Most marketing strategies swim in red oceans, competing for attention with minor variations on the same well-worn ideas. Industries like martech, streaming media, airlines, and automotive are classic examples of this hyper-saturated competition.
The book suggests that companies stuck competing in red oceans should seek to pivot toward a blue ocean by pioneering new spaces and creating markets where none previously existed.
HubSpot did this in 2007 by carving a new category (inbound marketing) out of the fiercely competitive marketing automation space. More recently, Savannah Bananas owner Jesse Cole left the red ocean of minor league baseball and invented an entirely new market (baseball-as-entertainment) with the Banana Ball
But now that technology democratizes access and enables rapid replication, blue oceans don’t stay blue for long. New ideas are quickly copied and commoditized at scale. Ridesharing, for instance, was once a groundbreaking concept — until it became a contest among Uber, Lyft, and a wave of imitators.
But what if there’s a third way?
How to craft a purple ocean content strategy
A purple ocean strategy blends differentiated ideas with market demand. It involves crafting content to pull people away from crowded spaces by offering them new ways to look at (perhaps) familiar ideas before they even realize they need them.
A classic example of a purple ocean business strategy is Apple’s iPhone launch. In a crowded market, Apple introduced an entirely new way to think about the benefits of a cellular phone.
But in a content strategy, you’re rarely talking about a fundamental product shift. Instead, you’re creating content to market an existing product or service. T. Rowe Price’s Next Wave of Advice program is a great example of a purple ocean content strategy. Rather than competing in the crowded space of industry research and thought leadership, they shifted focus to teaching financial advisors how to build deeper client connections by integrating coaching into their practices.
In this generative AI-obsessed era, content may be infinite — but well-thought-out ideas are finite. Differentiation can’t just be about speed, volume, or keyword optimization. It must be about depth, originality, and value. And that’s where purple oceans come in.
So, how do you create a purple ocean strategy to rise above the sea of rapidly commoditizing content?
Here are three key principles:
1. Introduce valuable friction
The red ocean approach is all about removing as much friction as possible: Make content as fast, seamless, and optimized as possible.
But sometimes, added friction can be valuable It forces slower engagement and deeper thought and gives buyers time to think and discover.
Instead of trying to remove every barrier, try slowing down the customer journey at key points to enhance understanding and trust. You can introduce meaningful friction by:
- Challenging conventional wisdom
- Asking bold questions that force engagement
- Creating interactive experiences that require participation
Purple ocean strategies aren’t about efficiency — they’re about depth, distinction, and differentiation.
2. Target the pre-audience
Marketers face tremendous business pressure to focus on demand identification (i.e., on people who are ready to buy today). So, they obsess over who’s searching now, which leads to a red ocean approach.
Few think about who will be searching next.
A purple ocean strategy targets audiences before they enter the market (think Savannah Bananas) or teaches them to think differently about a space (think about how HubSpot markets itself currently).
To target the pre-audience, try one of these approaches:
- Identify emerging trends before they become mainstream
- Educate future buyers before they even recognize they have a problem
- Create content for the customers of tomorrow not just today
For example, if I were marketing a modern marketing AI tool, instead of optimizing content for “best AI marketing tools to scale your content in 2025” (a red ocean topic), I would focus on content such as “how emerging AI reshapes brand differentiation in 2025.” This approach shifts the conversation into something that may not have people talking just yet but differentiates your brand and positions it as a trusted advisor.
3. Build an owned audience, not just a rented one
One of the biggest risks in content marketing in 2025 is relying too much on rented platforms.
SEO? Algorithm changes can tank your traffic overnight. Social media? You don’t own the audience — Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok do. Paid ads? As soon as you stop spending, the leads disappear.
A purple ocean strategy focuses on building a direct, engaged audience that wants to follow you into clearer waters. By offering the “best next” thing for them to want to follow, you develop a renewed relationship with them.
To build your owned audience, offer:
- Newsletters that people actually want to open and read
- Communities that provide unique value beyond the content
- Content platforms that establish long-term trust and authority
Brands that develop owned-audience relationships will be the ones that survive content commoditization.
Sink or swim
Content and marketing face an inflection point. AI has changed the game, and the old strategies (whether red or blue ocean) won’t be enough.
A purple ocean mindset is essential to stand out, build lasting differentiation, and create actual value.
Are you still chasing only red or only blue oceans — or are you ready to start swimming in purple waters?
It’s your story. Tell it well.
