Perceptual Maps

Perceptual Maps

Perceptual maps show how the marketplace groups or associates benefit and illustrate the relative positioning of brands across these benefits ("Marketing & Research Resources Perceptual Mapping", 2011). Perceptual maps work well when showing which benefits are most closely grouped together, which benefits are unrelated, and which are viewed as contradictory or polar opposites ("Marketing & Research Resources Perceptual Mapping", 2011). The goal of perceptual mapping is to display brands and benefits in a low dimensional space to provide interface ("Marketing & Research Resources Perceptual Mapping", 2011). The motorcycle company Thorr Motors perceptual maps were used to create a marketing plan to aid in maintaining a high brand image of their motorcycle. Relationships between differentiation and positioning of products or services and the impact of product lifecycle on marketing will be addressed below.

CruiserThorr I

The Situation

Sales of Cruiser Thorr are decreasing because Cruiser Thorr's target consumers are aging and their desires have changed or in other words, their desires have outgrown Cruiser Thorr's lifecycle. Younger consumers are more interested in lowered priced motorcycles because of their lower income. This scenario wanted to determine Cruiser Thorr's position in the market by choosing four relevant parameters that will reflect the highest potential.

Recommended Solution & Results

In this scenario, the parameters that were chosen were lifecycle image, services offered, price, and quality engineering. Lifecycle image was chosen because Cruiser Thorr's image no longer appealing to their target audience and younger consumers could to identify with their current brand. Cruiser Thorr's lifestyle image is set too high; therefore, any vital information gathered will be highly useful begin appealing to both older and younger targeted consumers.

Services offered were also chosen because compared to Cruiser Thorr's competitors; the services offered by Cruiser Thorr are limited. Price was chosen because for many consumers price is often one of the most important factors when deciding to make a purchase. Quality engineering was chosen because Cruiser Thorr will not maintain a high brand image without engineering. All recommended solutions were appropriate and fundamental to the perceptual map. The recommended solutions provide the best perspective as opposed to the other options.

CruiserThorr II

The Situation

This scenario calls for the marketing manager to create a marketing plan that will either reposition Cruiser Thorr or launch a new motorcycle. Upon researching threats and weaknesses of Thorr Motorcycles, the new RRoth was set between $13,000 and 15,000. This price range was chosen because earlier surveys showed that younger consumers were more interested in lower priced motorcycles.

Recommended Solution & Results

The types