Winning is a singularity, whereas losing conforms to a pattern

In this article, the authors argue that companies that imitate instead of innovate either in terms of product or company processes are doomed to conform to a pattern of failure.

Winning is a singularity, whereas losing conforms to a pattern

Jules Goddard and Tony EcclesLondon Business School; Cass Business School, City University

SOURCE OF ERROR: Competitive plagiarism

"The behaviour of peer companies, whether they are expanding, acquiring, setting executive compensation or whatever, will be mindlessly imitated"

Warren Buffett

Winners come in two varieties: those whose imagination and energy have won them a highly differentiated position in the external markets for customers, for capital or for talent; and those whose inventiveness and perseverance have brought them an equally original approach to the internal challenge of running an efficient operation....

Not a subscriber?

Schedule your live demo with our team today

WARC helps you to plan, create and deliver more effective marketing

  • Prove your case and back-up your idea

  • Get expert guidance on strategic challenges

  • Tackle current and emerging marketing themes

We’re long-term subscribers to WARC and it’s a tool we use extensively. We use it to source case studies and best practice for the purposes of internal training, as well as for putting persuasive cases to clients. In compiling a recent case for long-term, sustained investment in brand, we were able to support key marketing principles with numerous case studies sourced from WARC. It helped bring what could have been a relatively dry deck to life with recognisable brand successes from across a broad number of categories. It’s incredibly efficient to have such a wealth of insight in one place.

Insights Team
Bray Leino

You’re in good company

We work with 80% of Forbes' most valuable brands* and 80% of the world's top top-of-the-class agencies.

* Top 10 brands