Page 340 - Foundations of Marketing

Developing and Managing Goods and Services | Chapter 11 307

Figure 11.3 Hypothetical Perceptual Map for Pain Relievers

Expensive
Excedrin

Bufferin Nuprin
Aleve

Advil
Anacin
Extra Strength
Tylenol
For Tylenol For
headaches Motrin body aches
Bayer

St. Joseph's
Norwich
Inexpensive

From Pride/ Ferrell , Marketing 2014, 17E. 2014 Cengage Learning.

of product features. Then marketers can see how their brand is perceived compared with the
ideal points.

Bases for Positioning

Marketers can use several bases for product positioning. A common basis for positioning
products is to use competitors. A firm can position a product to compete head-on with
another brand, as PepsiCo has done against Coca-Cola, or to avoid competition, as 7UP has
done relative to other soft-drink producers. Head-to-head competition may be a marketer’s
positioning objective if the product’s performance characteristics are at least equal to those
of competitive brands and if the product is priced lower. Head-to-head positioning may
be appropriate even when the price is higher if the product’s performance characteristics
are superior. Samsung uses a head-to-head positioning strategy against Apple. Its com-
mercials poke fun at Apple devotees willing to wait in line for the newest iPhone. Despite
its clear targeting of Apple, Samsung never mentions the name of its competitor in its
23
commercials.
Conversely, positioning to avoid competition may be best when the product’s performance
characteristics do not differ significantly from those of competing brands. Moreover, position-
ing a brand to avoid competition may be appropriate when that brand has unique character-
istics that are important to some buyers. Volvo, for example, has for years positioned itself
away from competitors by focusing on the safety characteristics of its cars. Whereas some
auto companies mention safety issues in their advertisements, many are more likely to focus
on style, fuel efficiency, performance, or terms of sale. Avoiding competition is critical when
a firm introduces a brand into a market in which the company already has one or more brands.
Marketers usually want to avoid cannibalizing sales of their existing brands unless the new
brand generates substantially larger profits.
A product’s position can be based on specific product attributes or features. For example,
the Apple’s iPhone is positioned based on product attributes such as its unique shape, its
easy-to-use touchscreen, and its access to iTunes. If a product has been planned properly, its

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