Perceptual Maps

Essay by ujjwal2923University, Bachelor'sA-, January 2010

download word file, 4 pages 4.0

Perceptual map is a visual representation of what a customer thinks of a brand or a product. In can have innumerable axis, in which each axis represents the attribute that the product offers. This map helps an organization to recognize the customer's observation of a product and its difference with what the organization is trying to promote. This map helps an organization to generate a better understanding of customer's expectation and make changes accordingly.

Thorr Motorcycle Inc, is a company worth $5 billion that produces over 200,000 motorcycles in a year. The organization also sells t-shirts, leather goods as secondary products that compliment their motorbikes. The company enjoys a high brand image in the consumer market especially with 651+ cc heavyweight cruiser segment that controls over 40% market share for similar products. In recent years, even though there has been a significant growth in the motorcycle industry, the sales of CruiserThorr has gradually decreased.

The organization believes that the decrease of sales is due to the change in the customer base. As, the target customer of CruiserThorr are getting older, the organization has not been able to replace them with the younger generation. This is because of the higher price point of CruiserThorr and the inability to evolve in the lifestyle it symbolizes. As, the competitor such as Espritique by Michelin Mecanique and Anzai by Haruhiro-Daisetsu motorcycles are catching up with CruiserThorr the organization senses the importance of change in their marketing strategy that starts with constructing a perceptual map for CruiserThorr by choosing the four important areas of focus.

Lifecycle image:This aspect is important for motorcycle industry as it influences customers to buy into the large image rather that the functional attributes. As, customers interested in motorcycles expect the image of freedom, manliness and the open road ahead, this...