Page 294 -

260 PART 3 • STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION

People all over the world are congregating into virtual communities on the Web by
becoming members/customers/visitors of Web sites that focus on an endless range of
topics. People in essence segment themselves by nature of the Web sites that comprise
their “favorite places,” and many of these Web sites sell information regarding their
“visitors.” Businesses and groups of individuals all over the world pool their purchasing
power in Web sites to get volume discounts.

Product Positioning

After markets have been segmented so that the firm can target particular customer groups,
the next step is to find out what customers want and expect. This takes analysis and
research. A severe mistake is to assume the firm knows what customers want and expect.
Countless research studies reveal large differences between how customers define service
and rank the importance of different service activities and how producers view services.
Many firms have become successful by filling the gap between what customers and
producers see as good service. What the customer believes is good service is paramount,
not what the producer believes service should be.
Identifying target customers to focus marketing efforts on sets the stage for deciding
how to meet the needs and wants of particular consumer groups. Product positioning is
widely used for this purpose. Positioning entails developing schematic representations that
reflect how your products or services compare to competitors’ on dimensions most impor-
tant to success in the industry. The following steps are required in product positioning:
1. Select key criteria that effectively differentiate products or services in the industry.
2. Diagram a two-dimensional product-positioning map with specified criteria on each
axis.
3. Plot major competitors’ products or services in the resultant four-quadrant matrix.
4. Identify areas in the positioning map where the company’s products or services
could be most competitive in the given target market. Look for vacant areas
(niches).
5. Develop a marketing plan to position the company’s products or services
appropriately.
Because just two criteria can be examined on a single product-positioning map, multiple
maps are often developed to assess various approaches to strategy implementation.
Multidimensional scaling could be used to examine three or more criteria simultaneously, but
this technique requires computer assistance and is beyond the scope of this text. Some
examples of product-positioning maps are illustrated in Figure 8-2.
Some rules for using product positioning as a strategy-implementation tool are the
following:
1. Look for the hole or vacant niche. The best strategic opportunity might be an
unserved segment.
2. Don’t serve two segments with the same strategy. Usually, a strategy successful
with one segment cannot be directly transferred to another segment.
3. Don’t position yourself in the middle of the map. The middle usually means a strat-
egy that is not clearly perceived to have any distinguishing characteristics. This rule
can vary with the number of competitors. For example, when there are only two
competitors, as in U.S. presidential elections, the middle becomes the preferred
strategic position. 11
An effective product-positioning strategy meets two criteria: (1) it uniquely distin-
guishes a company from the competition, and (2) it leads customers to expect slightly less
service than a company can deliver. Firms should not create expectations that exceed the
service the firm can or will deliver. Network Equipment Technology is an example of a
company that keeps customer expectations slightly below perceived performance. This is a
constant challenge for marketers. Firms need to inform customers about what to expect
and then exceed the promise. Underpromise and then overdeliver is the key!