10 Perceptual Maps
Perceptual Maps Repeats chapter title and permalink missing
Perceptual mapping is a graphic display explaining the perceptions of customers with relation to specific product characteristics of your product or service against similar competitors. It helps you create a picture of where you think prospects and customers see your product along a continuum of at least two, and maybe several, variables.
To use the map, first specify the “relevant” characteristics you want to compare against the competition. For example, if you own a detergent brand, you may want to compare price against delivery system, such as pods, powders, or liquids. Or you may want to compare the fragrance of a detergent brand against the ability to eliminate odor from clothing.
Make sure that the products you choose are competitive with your product in the space in which you are selling. You may have a detergent that does many things: consumers perceive that it has a “good” fragrance and it is priced right, does a great job in odor reduction, and has a built-in fabric softener. But you may decide that you want to reposition the product as a value brand rather than an all-in-one product. Doing that means you will choose competitors that are also perceived as value brands, not as all-in-one products.
There are two types of maps, based on primary or secondary research. Should these be labeled as Figures or Tables?
- Similarity based – We create a Likert scale whereby respondents rank the similarity of two products on a scale of 1 to 5 or 1 to 10 where “1” might be exactly the same, and “10” totally the opposite. This then generates “comparison clouds” as shown below in which we are comparing sodas based on the attributes of bitter/sweet, sugar/no sugar, clear/dark, high vs. low caffeine, adult vs. for kids.
- Attribute based – Such as what are the attributes of your brand and competitive brands. This could include something like “caffeine” vs. “sugar.” Usually, the simpler of the two methods, we use an X/Y axis chart (as shown below) to create an easy-to-understand visual that provides a quick read.
Note, comparisons can be anything based on relevant attributes such as:
Smell versus newness – comparing the scent of a new expensive car vs. a cheap car.
High style vs. price – comparing fancy handbags from Coach vs. cheap handbags from Macys.
Luxury vs. size – comparing luxury apartments on Billionaire’s Row on 57th Street vs. large apartments in the suburbs.
Listen to the following PPT to guide you in creating a Perceptual Map.
Here is the Perceptual Map Worksheet you can use to create your own
