The Big Three in Business

Being perceived as one of the top three in a market, regardless of industry, industry sector or market size, is critically important.  These market leaders are or can be referred to as The Big Three. 

Big Three U.S. automakers: Ford, GM, Chrysler

Big Three U.S. broadcast television networks:

NBC, ABC, CBS

Big Three national economies: U.S., Japan, China

Big Three denim jeans makers: Levi Strauss, Lee,

Wrangler

Big Three light bulb manufacturers: Philips, Osram,

GE Lighting

Big Three U.S. breakfast cereal makers: Post,

Kellogg’s, General Mills

Big Three U.S. retailers: Walmart, Kmart, Target  

Big Three global retailers: Walmart, Asda, Carrefour   

Big Three food retailers in the U.S.: Walmart, Kroger,

Costco

Big Three food retailers in Canada: Loblaws, Metro,

Sobeys

Big Three food retailers in Slovenia: Mercator, Spar,

Tus

Big Three U.S. food services companies:

Compass Group, Aramark, Sodexo 

Big Three chocolate manufacturers: Hershey’s, Nestle,

Cadbury’s

Big Three U.S. ice cream manufacturers: Breyers,

Edy’s/Dreyer’s, Blue Bell

Big Three U.S. fast food hamburger restaurants:

McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King

Big Three U.S. office products retailers: Staples, Office

Depot, Office Max 

Big Three e-book sellers: Amazon, Apple,

Barnes & Noble

Big Three U.S. wireless carriers: Verizon, AT&T,

Sprint Nextel

Big Three management consulting firms: BCG,

Bain & Company, McKinsey

Big Three credit rating agencies: Standard & Poor's,

Moody's, Fitch  

Big Three U.S. colleges: Harvard, Yale, Princeton 

Name #4 in any category above.  Some are hard to imagine.  A business manager or owner knows his or her business must be perceived as one of the three biggest or best or cheapest.  The categories depend on market segmentation, and market segmentation depends on different perceptions of the company, organization, product or service.  “History shows that the first brand into the brain, on the average, gets twice the long-term market share of the No. 2 brand and twice again as much as the No. 3 brand.  And the relationships are not easily changed.  The leader brand in category after category outsells the number two brand by a wide margin….Many marketing experts overlook the enormous advantages of being first.”

from Threes, Chapter 8, “Threes in Business and Technology”