One part of Jobs theory is that the category may not be the competition. In Competing Against Luck, Clayton Christensen wrote that V8 is in the juice aisle but it competes with the produce section. No one bought V8 instead of apple juice, but they may buy V8 instead of celery sticks.
Another grocery-based job is the Chobani Flip. The accidental yogurt company’s problem was that people saw yogurt as a morning food. Talking to customers, Chobani found that if people could mix in something else it was seen more like a snack. And the Chobani Flip was born.
Like V8, Flip doesn’t compete with other yogurts, it competes with what else parents might buy. Like Pirate Booty.
This is the Jobs insight: think of the job rather than the place or the product. Proximity (aka category!) is not the competition.
Dove shampoo brand gets this.
Framed as “person on the street”, shampoo reps ask women if they need a haircut. Yeah, it’s my split ends, the women say. Well, what if you try our shampoo first?
Naturally, the shampoo works wonders for treating split ends and the women are happy.
Naturally, it’s a great use of Jobs theory. Rather than compete with other shampoos, this company competes with haircuts.
You keep using that word, competition, I don’t think you know what it means.
The Waiter's Pad 