Competitive Intelligence Resources


Everything we have produced to help you understand competitive intelligence, ask better questions, and make sharper decisions. Browse by type below.

Browse by type below.

Understand competitive intelligence

Start here if you are new to competitive intelligence or want to build a clearer picture of what it covers and how it works.

What is competitive intelligence?

A plain-English guide to CI: what it is, how it works, and when to use it.

Competitive intelligence glossary

Definitions of the key terms used in CI, from HUMINT to OSINT to win-loss analysis.

Example intelligence questions

The kinds of questions competitive intelligence is built to answer. Useful for scoping a project or deciding whether you need external support.

Competitive intelligence FAQs

Answers to the questions we hear most often, including cost, timelines, and how we handle sensitive information.

Selecting a Competitive Intelligence Agency

The things to check when selecting your competitive intelligence agency.


Thinking and analysis

Writing from the Octopus team on competitive intelligence, competitor analysis, and market strategy. Covers methodology, sector patterns, and the questions that come up in real client work.

Sharper thinking

Articles on competitive intelligence practice and how to apply it.

Intelligence in action

Case-led writing on how CI has been used to solve real business problems.

Weekly winning strategies

A short weekly brief on competitive strategy, published every week.

All articles

The full Octopus Intelligence blog.

MENA-related articles – Octopus articles associated with our Dubai-based MENA operation.

Strategic Intelligence Whitepaper


Reference material

Curated reference pages used by practitioners, analysts, and teams building an internal intelligence capability.

How to Think like an intelligence analyst

A good intelligence process tries to separate the facts, assumptions, gaps, hypotheses, deception risks and alternative explanations before reaching any judgement

Competitive intelligence quotes

Quotes on competition, strategy, and market intelligence from business leaders, analysts, and strategists.

Intelligence expert quotes

Direct quotes from competitive intelligence professionals on methodology, ethics, and practice.

Free downloads and guides

Practical material you can use immediately. No cost, no obligation.

Competitive Intelligence Project Examples

A collection of CI project examples to help to show what’s possible and to aid your thinking about your own potential competitive intelligence needs


Working with Octopus Intelligence

If you have moved from reading to thinking about a specific project, these pages cover what we do and how we work.

Competitive intelligence services

A select range of services we offer, from competitor analysis to corporate investigations. From scenario analysis and competitor monitoring to board advisory.

B2B mystery shopping

How we approach competitors as buyers and what the research produces.

Case studies

Examples of competitive intelligence work across sectors and project types.

Who we have worked with

A selection of the businesses and organisations we have supported.

Contact us

Get in touch directly or book a free, no-obligation consultation.


Not sure where to start? Book a free consultation, and we will point you in the right direction.