Learn How Our Country’s Media Industry Leverages Blue and Red Ocean Marketing

From innovations in catering to wider audiences, leveled up computer-generated imagery in television series, to the loss of traditional cliche plot lines, these strategies are what slowly change the standards of today’s Philippines’ media industry and for the future generations to come. As a viewer and consumers of this industry, it is up to us to determine how our country’s beloved network franchises expertly polarised the blue and red ocean marketing strategies to cater to every audience which is exactly what me and the people in our Mass Communication course face daily especially in our Integrated Marketing Communication Course. To dive in more, get a snippet of what we learn as mass communication students through this article.

By DONNA ALYSSA MABIASEN

APRIL 2025

Recently, when one of the long-standing Philippine commercial networks, GMA Network, made headlines for releasing their preview for the fantasy series entitled “Encantadia Chronicles: Sang’gre”, the comments from the video often pointed out how its directors ‘granted’ the viewers’ request for their beloved fantasy series to look more world-class. For me, its positive responses from the country’s citizens can also be compared to another media company which is ABS-CBN’s action series “Incognito” where its viewers were already praising it for its excellent cinematography just from the preview alone. Two of these TV series, the way they are marketed have different strategies for each but what are the Red and Blue Ocean Marketing Strategies?

The Philippines, as a nation, has citizens that spend three hours on television which earns us a nickname for a “media-obsessed” country. Still, to owners of these media networks and many others, it would mean that we are the easy targets for the AIDA strategy (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) where a brand would persuade an audience’s attention through these factors in our classes for Broadcasting and Integrated Marketing Communication. Moreover, media companies specifically use the Red and Blue Ocean Marketing Strategy to leverage a sustainable identity for their drama series mentioned above.

A Red Ocean Marketing Strategy is where companies focus on extending their brand lines to increase their reputation in an already-known market industry. It would most likely be reflected in GMA’s “Encantadia Chronicles: Sang’gre” which is a spin-off to an already existing series that is “Encantadia”. Its network company’s article believed, in its own words, that “Encantadia Chronicles: Sang’gre is poised to blend nostalgia with fresh narratives, bridging the original saga with new adventures” which hits the mark for a perfect red ocean strategy. It most likely utilized the said strategy in a way that the fans of the fantasy saga, together with the past viewers who grew up with the series are given something to be attracted to due to its promises of bringing back the series they have grown to love but with newer and more exciting features. GMA’s strategy to further maintain its standing in the fantasy series market here is to keep continuing the brand identity of ‘Encantadia’ because its directors and producers trust its capability to keep the viewers coming.

A few years down the line, however, the continuous success of a Red Ocean Marketing would probably be boring for newer viewers and so, this is where the Blue Ocean Marketing Strategy comes in. A Blue Ocean Marketing Strategy is where a company creates a new standard of marketing. This is where ABS-CBN’s “Incognito” comes in. In a few decades after the era of the famous Filipino action star Fernando Poe Jr., action series didn’t exactly bring anything new to the table. With a constant repeat of predictable storylines, the new era of action series was just not “IT”. However, ABS CBN created a completely new formula for “Incognito”. ABS-CBN Studios collaborating with other creatives took action and paired talented actors from different genres, with some of them even having controversies that not many networks would continue to employ. The media company’s directors for this series found that even our love for drama can be mixed with action that would be brought to life on our screens. ABS-CBN eventually dominated another streaming company Netflix Philippines as the action series “Incognito” placed in Number 1 Viewership with its Blue Ocean Strategy. Incognito’s action plotline continues to leverage the standards of our country’s media industry by featuring local land views not seen before on TV with foreign landscapes as well. Since its launch in January, Incognito recorded an all-time high viewership record of 997,260 which would reportedly earn them a hundred dollars that reprises the network’s lack of individual TV Franchise.

Despite the “network wars” or “fan wars” happening between the viewers of the two biggest entertainment companies in the Philippines, it is important to remember that each of their respective content is the way they are due to their target to attract sales. Marketing is every company’s focus and requires specific qualifications and strategies such as the Red and Blue Ocean. Of course, there would be times when the two networks competing with each other would choose to help the other out. Ever since the ongoing battle with the renewal of their franchise, ABS CBN CEO Carlo Katigbak found his views of rivalry shifting as he now sees other broadcasting companies as their partners followed by a statement “our focus now is purely on content creation”.

Earning a spot in the country’s general viewing population is costly just like starting a business and marketing your content is even costlier which is why every strategy counts including collaborating with your competitors. How we work and compete with our competitors is much of what is learned in the paradox of strategy. You can cancel an online advertisement constantly popping up on your devices anytime but you can never cancel good marketing in a battle of wits and strategies.