Perceptual Maps and Marketing Management - Essay Example

During the past two decades, the aerospace sector witnessed the proliferation of no-frills airlines which provides transport services at lower cost. Currently, we see the co-existence of huge airlines catering to the upscale market by offering value-added services suited to the market with the aggressive smaller players emphasizing no-frills products and lower prices. Thus, the perceptual map would have two axes—the vertical measuring the level of service while the horizontal one will denote the quality of service. In the first quadrant with players offering high-quality service and products, we will put US Airways while no-frills carrier Southwest Airlines will be in the fourth quadrant.

The data which will be needed to put up the perceptual map will be from various sources including press releases that highlight the marketing strategy of the industry players, the annual report of the individual carriers, industry reports from research groups, and interviews from industry experts. The documents will allow the researcher to understand the dynamics of the airline industry as well as how the competitors differentiate their offerings from the other players. However, it is also important to realize that the perception of customers about different brands is also essential in generating a correct perceptual map.    
b. What are some events that will dictate that a perceptual map cannot be used?

     Because perceptual maps are graphed using two axes, they can only be used to measure at most four attributes. For example, one can create a perceptual map of cars using attributes such as sporty, elegant, affordable, and elegant. However, when considering five or more attributes that are used by companies to differentiate themselves from each other, perceptual maps become useless.

     Perceptual maps are only essential in analyzing the perception of customers about the brands in the market but they lack the capacity of informing researchers about the preference of the market.