Exam 4 marketing

differentiation

Differentiation: designing meaningful differences to

distinguish the company’s offering from competitors

positioning

Positioning: who you are in the marketplace vis-à-vis the

competition

• Determine who you are in the market

• Then decide who you want to be

• Positioning is determined by the marketing mix variables

points of parity

Determine points of parity

• Associations with that are shared with other brands

• May be expected of all products

determine points of difference

Determine points of difference

• Attributes/benefits consumer associate positively with a brand

and believe that they could not find with another brand

• Focus on PODs that are relevant, distinctive, believable, feasible,

communicable, and sustainable.

perceptual maps

Graphical depictions of where a brand is and where the

competitors are in the minds of customers

• Helps Marketers envision

• The brand’s strengths

• The competitors’ strengths

• The closest substitutes for a brand

• Use maps to answer the questions…

• Is my brand optimally positioned?

• Is my intended position the one that customers perceive?

• How well served are the markets?

• Repositioning

• Changing the position a firm holds in customers’ minds

Usage of perceptual maps

1.Use perceptual maps to determine which attributes are

important to customers

• Descriptors are rated on importance and the firm’s

strength/weakness

2. Use perceptual maps for

   competitive analysis

   • But only 2 attributes can

   be viewed at a time

   • Other perceptual images may

   be more beneficial for

   comparing strengths and

   weaknesses

positioning matrix

Companies cannot be the best at everything

• Marketers need to determine the best position for the firm

• i.e., coolest brand, best value

• Either of these is achievable, but both together are probably not

• Need to have realistic positioning

4-P combinations

Any combination in the matrix is possible but some are more

optimal than others