LivingSocial is not the first to create a compelling coupon offer. Putting aside whether coupon sites are sustainable , all this begs the question of the value of buzz and being a first mover. MORE

Starting off on the right foot is crucial, especially during "the first 100 days," when new top executives are under intense scrutiny to prove they're equal to the job. An incoming CEO of an entertainment company, eager to secure first-mover advantage, instituted an ambitious growth strategy and set specific targets for managers. Perhaps the most dangerous myth of all is that a new CEO's worth can be judged in the "first 100 days." MORE

I know about this kind of thing first-hand. We were unable to capitalize on first mover advantage. But first mover advantage is a simplistic tenet of global strategy. Taking advantage of the local copycats, for many, is the best way forward. MORE

Not only is it easier to differentiate brands when there is less competition, but also, products introduced during recessions will enjoy a first-mover advantage as the economy recovers. The family business is still widely regarded as an ineffective organizational form (read this , this , or that paper), especially in the US, even though recent evidence challenges this perception. MORE

To ensure first mover advantage, the schedule was extremely aggressive. Each site involved in global innovation will see the project through the prism of its own contribution and context, rather than putting the bigger picture first. Or begin building a capability in global innovation now to take advantage of lower development costs, faster time to market, and, most important, the ability to leverage dispersed knowledge to gain competitive advantage. MORE

The good news: By engaging this market segment and rebuilding trust, health care companies can have a first-mover advantage. They must first develop gender smarts with customers and exhibit the behaviors women seek, as decision makers, to serve their needs. MORE

Paul Kennedy's seminal Rise and Fall of the Great Powers captures the way technological and economic advances have converted into strategic advantage, and how failure to "lock in" that edge accelerates imperial decline. But America's edge is eroding fast as it struggles to keep first-mover advantage over its innovations. Five thousand years ago, use of the wheel began to spread from Mesopotamia across Eurasia, revolutionizing transport and enabling chariot warfare. MORE

That competitive advantages are becoming ever more transient and that the secret to survival will be to the ability to transform on a dime? It chronicles Steve Jobs’ first public introduction of the brand new Macintosh, which happened in January 1984 at Jonathan’s Society in Boston. One lesson from this is that real competitive advantage is enormously long-lived. In it, he talked about the competitive advantage of Southwest Airlines, Vanguard Group and Progressive Insurance. MORE

Also, you had the first mover advantage with Android - you know how it works. Use this to your advantage and penetrate the market with low prices before other Android phones get in. MORE

Given that news, it seems that businesses that have dominated their markets are learning that the magic elixir of network effects and winner-takes-all advantages are about as reliable as cures for baldness. At first people thought the market leaders would be wrapped up in a few years. MORE

They may be strategizing their way to first mover advantages and positions that leave few if any attractive options in the market. MORE

Within the first 5 years of its founding, Amancio Ortega, the founder of Zara figured out the responsiveness and speed were key to dominance in apparel retail as opposed to costs so Zara produced in expensive locations and used expensive shipping modes to react to trends faster. MORE

In many markets around the world, companies have the chance to seize a first-mover advantage by investing early in this growing consumer touch point, much in the same way that companies that made early, scaled investments in TV advertising in its youngest years secured long-term cost advantages. MORE

To ensure first mover advantage, the schedule was extremely aggressive. Each site involved in global innovation will see the project through the prism of its own contribution and context, rather than putting the bigger picture first. Or begin building a capability in global innovation now to take advantage of lower development costs, faster time to market, and, most important, the ability to leverage dispersed knowledge to gain competitive advantage. MORE

Its story starts like many success stories do: An innovative concept coupled with a first-mover advantage, enabling a rapid physical expansion and generating increasing returns to scale. The strategy had moderate success at first: Sales and assets grew gradually, while profitability remained stable and even grew slightly. Companies tend to repeat what has worked for them in the past. MORE

Innovation focused on first-mover advantage, not price point. In Garrison Keillor's Lake Wobegon , a classic but fictional town in Minnesota, "all the children are above average." When it comes to growth in a stagnating global economy, clearly most corporate executives tend to see their own prospects in a similar way. MORE

First mover advantage by proactively stopping tobacco sales before they need to. Social Good had nothing to do with CVS’ decision not to sell cigarettes. CVS announced that it will discontinue selling cigarettes by the middle of 2014. MORE

The good news for Microsoft is that it has a first-mover advantage, and can evaluate its platform partnerships to decide which third parties should be acquired, which should be exclusively available on Outlook, and which should be more tightly integrated. MORE

Clearly there is a first mover advantage in some cases: Chris Brogan developed a passionate following as an early blogger, and Guy Kawasaki jumped onboard Twitter and became a powerhouse there. I recently got back from the New Media Expo in Las Vegas. MORE

Despite what many think, there are not generically great ways to win — e.g., being a first mover or a fast follower or a branded player or a cost leader. A How to Win choice based on superior scale is not going to be useful if the Where to Play choice is to concentrate on a narrow niche — because that would undermine an attempted scale advantage. MORE

Our study clearly shows that great leadership is a strong competitive advantage, with the top 20 BCL firms far outperforming the S&P 500 benchmark on shareholder returns. Toyota's decade-long investment in its Prius sub-brand ultimately succeeded in strengthening the company's reputation as a respected product innovator while allowing Toyota to capture first-mover advantage in the fast-growing hybrid category. MORE