Title

Student’s Name

Professor’s Name

Course Title

Date
 Positioning Maps

Positioning maps are a useful marketing tool that enables an organization to plot how a

product or service is positioned against its competitors across a broad range of criteria. In its

simplest form, a price-benefit positioning map shows the relationship between the primary

benefit that a product provides to customers and the prices of all the products in a given market.

A product positioning map functions by plotting the position of the selected products against two

or more pre-defined criteria. Positioning maps can be based on actual criteria, such as product

attributes and price, as well as consumer perceived variables, such as value and image (Ries and

Jack, 1986). A brand’s position is the set of perceptions, impressions, ideas and feelings that

consumers have for the product compared with competing products. Marketers plan positions

that give their products the greatest advantage in selected target markets, and they design

marketing mixes to create these planned positions. In planning their positioning, marketers often

prepare perceptual maps that show consumer perceptions of their brand versus competing brands

on attributes that are important to the consumer, whether functional or symbolic (Ries and Jack,

1986).

Creating position maps

It involves three steps: (Ries and Jack, 1986)

1. Defining the market

To draw a meaningful map, one must specify the boundaries of the market of interest. First,

identification the consumer needs to be understood. Casting a wide net for products and services

that satisfy customer needs, is necessary avoid being outsmarted by fresh entrants, new

technologies, or unusual offerings that take care of those needs.

Selection of the country or region to study

It is appropriate to limit the geographic scope of the analysis if competitors or customers, or

the way products are used differ widely across borders.

Tracking the market

Finally, one should decide if he/she wants to track the entire market for a product or only a

specific segment or exploring the retail or wholesale market, and if track products or brands are

necessary.

Uses of positioning/Perpetual Maps

Perceptual Maps are useful for these key reasons:

 Assessing strengths and weaknesses relative to competing brands along certain criteria

important to the customer. This is shown by the positions of the marketer’s brand and

competing brands along the axes. Identification of competitive advantage for the brand
 Perceptual maps show differentiation among products in the customer’s mind.
 Perceptual maps show how ideal points shift as markets mature, and therefore a brand

might shift its positioning in order to retain or gain a competitive advantage (Ries and

Jack, 1986).

If a brand has a competitive advantage on an attribute that is not salient, marketers can

educate their customers as to why it is important and show them why they should care about this

attribute. If this does not work or if the positioning is not registering, marketers usually consider

changing their positioning with a strategy that is more likely to be effective (Ries and Jack,

1986).

Conclusion
 Positioning maps enables an organization to plot how a product or service is positioned

against its competitors. A positioning map shows the relationship between the primary benefit

that a product provides to customers and the prices of all the products in a given market. A

product positioning map functions by plotting the position of the selected products against two or

more pre-defined criteria.

References

Ries, A., and Trout, J., (1986). 'Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind'. New York: Warner

Books