“Situation” is a powerful lens for identifying business model innovation opportunities and protecting whatever market space you now command. “Situational segmentation” recognizes that any one customer’s needs – for a restaurant for example – depend on the circumstances giving rise to the need – entertaining, date-night, shopping with a friend. You can disrupt a leader or protect your position by finding situations where existing offerings fail to address situational needs. Zipcar, founded in 2000, did just that. Errands and other short trips lead auto nonowners, like college students and young urban dwellers, to need a car for hours instead of days or weeks. Auto rental companies, designed for travel and longer-term rentals, are often too far away, too expensive and take too much time to transact with to meet short-hop situational needs. Zipcar’s car sharing subscription service addressed the unmet need, allowing its…