Every year, companies invest enormous amounts of money to launch new products and establish positions in competitive markets. Yet market leadership is not always secured by the first mover. In many industries, later entrants successfully capitalize on opportunities created by pioneers, often achieving significant market impact with fewer resources. Why does this happen? And can the dynamics of market competition be explained through a systematic strategic model?
These questions motivated Lee Seong-jae, a researcher in Advertising and Public Relations at Baekseok Arts University, to conduct an interdisciplinary study connecting marketing theory with an unexpected field: Trading Card Games (TCGs). Popular games such as Yu-Gi-Oh!, Magic: The Gathering, and the Pokémon Trading Card Game require players to make decisions under conditions of limited resources, hidden information, and strategic interaction. According to Lee, these same characteristics are also present in real-world business competition.
In his paper, A Study on Hijacking Marketing Strategies Under Non-Public Information Environments: Focusing on TCG Game Models, Lee proposes that TCGs should be understood as more than a gaming genre. The study suggests that their strategic structures may provide a useful framework for analyzing how firms compete, allocate resources, anticipate rivals' actions, and respond to changing market environments.
"TCGs are often perceived simply as games, but many of their core mechanisms closely resemble the strategic interactions observed in competitive markets."
— Lee Seong-jae
To formalize this idea, the study introduces the TCG-Marketing Four-Matrix Model, which links key game mechanics—hidden information, resource management, hijacking strategies, and chain timing—to corresponding business and marketing concepts. By integrating insights from game theory and strategic management, the framework seeks to provide a new perspective on how firms make decisions under uncertainty and competition.
The research combines theoretical modeling with case analyses and consumer survey data. Major industry examples, including Coca-Cola and Pepsi, TikTok and Instagram Reels, and Apple and Samsung, were examined to explore whether patterns resembling TCG strategic interactions can be observed in real-world markets. In addition, a survey of 200 respondents was conducted to investigate perceptions of information asymmetry, comparative advertising, and brand-switching behavior.
One of the study's most distinctive contributions lies in its interdisciplinary approach. Rather than borrowing concepts from business theory to explain games, the research moves in the opposite direction: it explores whether strategic systems developed within gaming environments can offer meaningful insights into business competition. In doing so, the study opens a dialogue between gaming culture, marketing strategy, consumer behavior, and management theory.
Although the author acknowledges that the framework remains exploratory and that future research is needed to test its applicability in more complex market environments, the study presents a thought-provoking perspective on how strategic interactions may transcend disciplinary boundaries.
As markets become increasingly dynamic and information-rich, understanding how organizations respond to uncertainty and competition is more important than ever. Lee's research suggests that some of the answers may be found in places few would expect—including the strategic worlds of trading card games.
Researcher Information
- Institution: Baekseok Arts University
- Department: Business Administration (Advertising & Public Relations)
- Researcher: Lee Seong-jae
- Research Interests: Marketing Strategy, Consumer Behavior, Information Asymmetry, Game Theory