Product attributes model: A tool for evaluating marketing strategy

Through a brand's positioning, a company tries to build a sustainable competitive advantage on product attribute(s) - tangible or intangible - in the mind of the consumer. This advantage is designed to appeal to one or more segments in that product category. To effectively position (or reposition) a brand, the company must know how this brand is perceived in relationship to other brands in the product category. A commonly used tool for this analysis is perceptual mapping. This paper discusses another tool for evaluating the potential advantage for a brand in a product category. Drawn from the economics literature, the Product Attributes Model provides the advantages of perceptual maps, plus it allows the marketer to incorporate the price of the brand directly into the attribute analysis. As a result, the marketer can better understand the customer-perceived value for the attributes in light of the price of the brand.