Constructing Perceptual Maps

Analysis and Metrics, Free Activities, Segmentation and Positioning, Tools

Topics

positioning, perceptual maps, analysis

Review the activity below or download the PDF student worksheet

Student Activity

Introduction

As we know, perceptual maps are a great way to visualize consumer’s perception of brand positions and how they evolve over time.

It is quite common for students to include one perceptual map in suitable assignments, but there are a number of misconceptions on how to best use perceptual maps.

Your Task

This exercise is designed to give you a good sense of how to use perceptual maps effectively from a marketing perspective. Here are the steps for this exercise:

  1. Students need to construct perceptual (image) data to use. This would require multiple competing brands being scored on an array of relevant attributes.
  2. To achieve this, your class should first agree on a market that they understand and are familiar with most of the brands.
  3. Then you need to brainstorm (or work in groups) to get a list of possible attributes to use for an in-class survey.
  4. Once the brands and attributes are decided, then all the students should be surveyed. For example, “on a scale of 1 to 9, where 9 is great service and 1 is poor service, what would you score Brand X, what about Brand Y?” – and so on for all brands and attributes.
  5. Once the data has been constructed (or obtained from a 3rd party, if preferable), then you need to use the Excel perceptual mapping tool to build various perceptual maps.
  6. After reviewing an array of maps, groups can report back on their key findings and market insights.

An instructional video on how-to-use the perceptual mapping tool

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