Managing Brand Equity by Aaker David A

Author:Aaker, David A. [Aaker, David A.]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Free Press
Published: 2009-11-30T16:00:00+00:00

FIGURE 6-7 Grouping Insurance Firms

A two- or three-dimensional perceptual map of the population can be obtained from the data: Brands most often grouped together will be close to one another in the space, and brands not frequently in the same group will be relatively far apart. The technique is called correspondence analysis. Further, the associations with each brand can be obtained, and positioned in the space with the pertinent brand (as in Figure 6-3).

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THE SCALING TASK

There is always a concern with the validity of the scaling task. Can a respondent actually position beers on an “aged a long time” dimension? There could be several problems. One, a possible unfamiliarity with one or more of the brands, can be handled by asking the respondent to evaluate only familiar brands (although even the degree to which a respondent is familiar with a brand might still be an issue). Another potential problem is the respondent’s ability to understand operationally what “aged” means, or how to evaluate a brand on this dimension. Any ambiguity in the scale, or inability of a respondent to use the scale, will affect the validity and reliability of the results.

Yet another concern is with the nature of the scale used. Customers can be asked to simply check whether a certain item is associated with a brand. A relatively easy task, this can lend itself to a large number of dimensions and telephone interviewing. Rank-order data (which brand is the highest on this dimension, the second highest, etc.) generates very sensitive information, but also can exaggerate small differences. A five-or seven-point scale is an alternative that taps the information of the respondent most completely.

DETERMINING PERCEPTIONS BY SEGMENT

Perceptual measurement needs to be done with respect to a specified segment within the context of a competitive set of brands. In the Ford Taurus case the upper middle market segment defined both the set of competitors and the segment.

Much of the time the scaling task should be done for multiple segments. Any relevant segment defined by age, life-style, attitude, or usage may well have different perceptions from others’. For example, the user and nonuser groups quite often differ in their brand perceptions. And these are the very differences that often drive preference and purchase. Thus, in the Ford Taurus case it might be worthwhile to look at the differences between those who are considering or have bought the Taurus and those who have not.

BEYOND PERCEPTIONS

Interest is not only in the associations with the brand, and the position of the brand on the perceptual dimensions, but also on:

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