Play Bigger Book Summary - Play Bigger Book explained in key points
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Play Bigger summary

Al Ramadan David Peterson Christopher Lochhead Kevin Maney

How Pirates, Dreamers and Innovators Create and Dominate Markets

3.9 (66 ratings)
11 mins

Brief summary

'Play Bigger' by Al Ramadan, David Peterson, Christopher Lochhead and Kevin Maney is a marketing book that provides a step-by-step approach to creating a new market category and dominating it. It offers practical strategies and real-life examples for entrepreneurs and leaders looking to disrupt their industry.

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    Category kings find and develop solutions to problems that no one else has noticed.

    At the beginning of the twentieth century, if you had asked people how personal transportation could be improved, they would have told you to make a faster horse.

    Henry Ford, however, imagined an ambitious alternative – the Ford Model T: the first affordable, mass-produced automobile.

    Such a game-changing innovation is called a new category.

    New categories offer consumers a vision of a new way to live and solutions to problems that few others have even considered.

    When you need a taxi, for instance, you often scramble to hail one from the street or search high and low for a taxi stand. Then Uber came along and said, “Why can’t the taxi come to you, no matter where you are or what time of day it is?”

    A person who thinks like this, who comes up with game-changing solutions, is called a category king.

    Companies can be category kings, too. A company, after all, is the entity that develops the services and products that become essential in our lives. Old ways soon become obsolete, and we wonder how we ever survived before the new category came along.

    We often think this way, because it’s only when a category king offers the perfect solution that we realize we had a problem in the first place! To become a category king, you have to not only show people the solution but also show them the problem.

    Uber is a perfect example of a category king. Its innovative taxi service was all the more appealing because it highlighted the many flaws of traditional taxi companies.

    Before Uber, customers had to track down a cab themselves, guess how much the final ride would cost, and fumble with bills and coins. With Uber, customers can order a cab through a smartphone, get an automatic price estimate, pay by credit card and even track the progress of the cab online!

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    What is Play Bigger about?

    Play Bigger (2016) details strategies you can employ to break into any market successfully. Creating a new product isn’t easy but getting people to buy it is even harder. This book shows you how to pick the right market for your product by creating it yourself and making people take notice.

    Play Bigger Review

    Play Bigger (2016) is a must-read for those looking to revolutionize their industries and build legendary companies. Here's why this book is worth reading:

    • Replete with real-life examples and case studies, it offers a roadmap for creating a category king and dominating the market.
    • The book provides practical frameworks and strategies for identifying and capitalizing on white space opportunities, enabling readers to think bigger and disrupt the status quo.
    • With its thought-provoking insights about category design and market leadership, it offers a fresh perspective that challenges conventional thinking.

    Best quote from Play Bigger

    Everything a company does … should align with the point of view. If the POV is clear and employees buy into it, the company will practically manage itself.

    —Al Ramadan, David Peterson, Christopher Lochhead and Kevin Maney
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    Who should read Play Bigger?

    • Business leaders with great ideas
    • Entrepreneurs looking for new ways to market products
    • People curious as to why Uber is so successful

    About the Author

    Al Ramadan, Dave Peterson and Christopher Lochhead are the co-founders of Play Bigger Advisors, where they coach technology firms to help them dominate in their respective market categories. Learn more about their work at www.playbigger.com. 

    Kevin Maney is a best-selling author and award-winning columnist for Newsweek.

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    Play Bigger FAQs 

    What is the main message of Play Bigger?

    The main message of Play Bigger is how to dominate your competition by creating and leading new market categories.

    How long does it take to read Play Bigger?

    The reading time for Play Bigger varies depending on the reader's speed, but it typically takes several hours. However, the Blinkist summary can be read in just 15 minutes.

    Is Play Bigger a good book? Is it worth reading?

    Play Bigger is a must-read for entrepreneurs and business leaders. It provides valuable insights on creating and dominating market categories.

    Who is the author of Play Bigger?

    The authors of Play Bigger are Al Ramadan, David Peterson, Christopher Lochhead, and Kevin Maney.

    What to read after Play Bigger?

    If you're wondering what to read next after Play Bigger, here are some recommendations we suggest:
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    • 12 Months to $1 Million by Ryan Daniel Moran
    • The Stoic Path to Wealth by Darius Foroux
    • Fast This Way by Dave Asprey
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