Competitor Analysis: The Eurasia Group, Essay Example

The growth of the field of political risk analysis is correlative to the growth of the realization that corporations and other investors cannot make successful decisions based merely on economic data, but must also include “the forces and dynamics that shape these countries’ politics.” (Bremmer, 2009) In so far as globalization makes such investment opportunities more abundant, there is an increased need for political risk analysis. Whereas the Eurasia Group is the world’s largest political risk consultancy firm (Thompson, 2006), it still is faced with competitors, a fact that demonstrates the demand for such types of analysis.

Medley Global Advisors is one of the Eurasia Group’s key competitors, described by a Columbia University (2013) report as “the leading macroeconomic and political intelligence service for the world’s top hedge funds, investment banks and asset managers.” A crucial distinction between Medley and the Eurasia Group in this regard is its focus on hedge funds, investment banks and asset managers: the Medley Group has, in other words, specifically targeted these segments of the business world as its primary market. The Eurasia Group, although intensively focused on corporate investment, has a much broader client target. On the one hand, this creates a broader market for their product, on the other hand, those looking for political risk analysis in the specific fields mentioned which Medley specializes in may choose MGA over the Eurasia Group on the basis of its specialization. Namely, MGA has specified its service marketing, which has enabled it to excel with this particular market. From the contrasting perspective, however, the attested success of the Eurasia Group demonstrates that it is still an industry leader in political risk analysis, which means that its product is high demand from the business world.

CountryWatch, another competitor of the Eurasia Group, provides the diametrically opposite approach of Medley, fitting more in line with the Eurasia Group’s service marketing strategy. CountryWatch namely is “an information provider for corporations, government agencies, universities, schools, libraries and individuals needing up-to-date news and information on each of the recognized countries of the world.” (Columbia University, 2013) The wide client base thus mirrors the market strategy of the Eurasia Group. CountryWatch has, like the Eurasia Group, eschewed excessive specialization in terms of the clients to which it will offer services, instead preferring such a broad approach.

From this perspective, a company such as CountryWatch is arguably a more direct challenge to the Eurasia Group from a competitive standpoint, to the extent that target markets are the same. However, the Eurasia Group has arguably remained the dominant firm in its area by promoting its brand name in a more diverse way that faithfully imitates its diverse client base. One of the key ways in which the Eurasia Group has marketed itself is by issuing publically available rankings, such as the Top 10 Security Risk list, which are then cited in numerous media outlets. This type of information sound bite provides insight into the type of product the Eurasia Group offers in a digestible and ubiquitous format, making the Eurasia Group an identifiable name in the field of political risk analysis.

This approach is also re-iterated in the Eurasia Group’s presence on various media outlets offering analysis: from April 2014 to May 2014, Eurasia Group experts have appeared on PBS Newshour, BNN Commodities, and Bloomberg. (The Eurasia Group, 2014b) In addition, its founder Ian Bremmer is a prolific writer, penning national bestsellers such as 2012’s Every Nation for Itself: Winners and Losers in a G-Zero World. (The Eurasia Group, 2014a) PhD holder Bremmer has also maintained his relevance in the academic world, serving as a Global Research Professor at New York University. (The Eurasia Group, 2014a)

In summary, the Eurasia Group has maintained its competitive advantage with a service marketing strategy that seeks to be ubiquitous. The work of the Eurasia Group is present in academic and popular discourses, in the business world as well as the world of politics. It has therefore attempted to compete with firms with specialized markets, such as Medley, by taking a broader market approach. At the same time, in order to compete with firms with a similar broad market approach, such as CountryWatch, the Eurasia Group has sought to become all the more ubiquitous. The Eurasia Group’s service marketing strategy is thus defined by a desire to make its brand name visible in all areas of society that deal with politics and business.

References

Bremmer, I. (2001). “Political Risk: Countering the Impact on Your Business.” QFinance. Retrieved 20 July 2014 at http://www.qfinance.com/business-strategy-best-practice/political-risk-countering-the-impact-on-your-business?page=1

Columbia University SIPA (2013.) “Political Risk Analysis Firms.” Columbia University SIPA. Retrieved 20 July 2014 at https://sipa.columbia.edu/…/Political%20Risk%20Analysis%20Firms.pdf

The Eurasia Group. (2014). “Ian Bremmer.” The Eurasia Group. Retrieved 15 July 2014 at http://eurasiagroup.net/about-eurasia-group/who-is/bremmer

The Eurasia Group. (2014). “Media Center.” The Eurasia Group. Retrieved 15 July 2014 at http://eurasiagroup.net/media-center

Thompson, D. (2006). “Here’s How the World Works.” The Telegraph, 30 September. Retrieved 20 July 2014 at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1530208/Heres-how-the-world-works.html