At the age of 20 I bought a used Fiat 127. This was the only one I could afford!
Incentives are not strategy, they are tactics. Defensive measures.
The most interesting information I can have about a competitor is the cost.
You don't build your character by doing what everybody else is doing.
I approve designs not because I think I am more gifted or somebody who can see ahead three or four years from now, but just to make sure that the design is a logical, rational decision, taken after analyzing pros and cons.
Synergies are not only about cost reduction. Synergies can be access to markets, exchange of products, avoiding overlaps, exchange of best practices.