Blue Ocean Strategy Canvas — Cirque du Soleil Radar Chart Template
The classic Kim & Mauborgne strategy canvas: Cirque du Soleil vs traditional circus (Ringling Bros.) vs Broadway theater — showing how Cirque created a blue ocean by eliminating, reducing, raising and creating factors of competition.
Used 627 times
- Ringling Bros. (Red Ocean)
- Broadway Theater (Red Ocean)
- Cirque du Soleil (Blue Ocean)
About this template
The strategy canvas is the central diagnostic of Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne, and Cirque du Soleil is its most-cited example. Plotting Cirque against a traditional circus and Broadway theater on the industry's competing factors shows exactly how it escaped a shrinking market: it eliminated animal shows and star performers, reduced thrills and fun-and-humor, raised the unique venue, and created theme, refined environment, artistic music and dance, and multiple productions per year. The result is a value curve that doesn't track either industry — the visual definition of a blue ocean. Use this template to run the same exercise on your own market: list the factors your industry competes on, score yourself and two rivals, then work through eliminate, reduce, raise and create until your curve diverges. It's rendered as a line chart because that's the format the book uses.
Attributes included
- Price
Relative price point charged to the customer.
- Star performers
Investment in named, marquee talent.
- Animal shows
Presence and scale of animal acts.
- Aisle concessions
Revenue push from in-venue concession selling.
- Multiple show arenas
Number of simultaneous rings or stages.
- Fun & humor
Clowning and broad comedic content.
- Thrills & danger
Physical risk as a draw.
- Unique venue
Distinctiveness of the physical setting.
- Theme
A unifying narrative or concept across the show.
- Refined environment
Comfort and sophistication of the audience experience.
- Multiple productions
Number of distinct shows produced per year.
- Artistic music & dance
Original score and choreography quality.
Sample items
- Ringling Bros. (Red Ocean)
- Broadway Theater (Red Ocean)
- Cirque du Soleil (Blue Ocean)
How to use the Blue Ocean Strategy Canvas — Cirque du Soleil template
- 1Click "Use this template" to load the preset attributes and sample data into the builder.
- 2Rename attributes or items to match your context — every value is editable inline.
- 3Adjust scores using sliders or by typing values directly. Toggle items on or off to compare subsets.
- 4Pick a color theme, then export your chart as PNG or SVG, or share a live link.
Frequently asked questions
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