Deck 5: Positioning

Question 1

Customers may view similar companies as interchangeable.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Brands occasionally come along that are priced high but offer low quality.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Low prices always result in low profitability.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Positioning is about identity: who your brand or company is in the marketplace vis-à-vis the competition and in the customer's eyes.

Question 5

With time, it's hard for a company to resist raising prices, or letting quality settle a little lower due to cost-cutting measures.

Question 6

Customer segments shown on perceptual maps offer marketing managers information about what's going on in the marketplace.

Question 7

A brand can reasonably be positioned as the "coolest" brand and the best value.

Question 8

Positioning involves two of the marketing mix variables.

Question 9

Just as consumers are demanding, wanting the very best of everything, companies can be equally irrational.

Question 10

Alexis is in charge of designing a new product for her company.The research data she collected suggests the benefits to her target segment will be minimal.Based on this information, Alexis will have a difficult time positioning this new product.

Question 11

Some perceptual maps contain descriptors for a single service provider.

Question 12

One question always on the minds of marketers is, "Is my intended position the one that customers perceive?"

Question 13

Holes in perceptual maps identify areas of fierce competition among an industry's firms.

Question 14

Perception is one of the 4 Ps.

Question 15

Communication is one of the 5 Cs.

Question 16

Positioning has more physical elements than perceptual ones.

Question 17

On a perceptual map, brands depicted as points in the map close together are those perceived as similar.

Question 18

Positioning is about designing a product to have benefits that the target segment will value.

Question 19

Customer intimacy is a basic corporate strategy that creates value.

Question 20

Perceptual maps allow managers to see graphical depictions of where their brands are, and where their competitors are, in the minds of their customers.

Question 21

Positioning statements should not be used as advertising taglines.

Question 22

Once it has positioned itself or its brand, a company must be able to communicate succinctly the parameters of that position to a single audience.

Question 23

Madison serves as Vice President of Customer Experience at Company X, a large international hospitality firm with hotels and resorts around the globe.Madison's role involves catering to the specific needs and preferences of Company X's most valuable guests.Company X is most likely engaged in a customer intimacy strategy to create value among its guests.

Question 24

Joe's company prides itself on efficient production and delivery of products, in addition to offering low prices and convenience to its customers.The strategy most likely being employed by Joe's company is product leadership.

Question 25

Airlines use operational excellence strategy to tailor products to customers.

Question 26

A positioning statement should target employees and shareholders.

Question 27

To write a good positioning statement, you need to know who you are trying to persuade.

Question 28

A positioning statement includes the specification of the target segment(s).

Question 29

FedEx uses an operational excellence strategy by focusing on delivery, price, and convenience.

Question 30

A positioning statement should express a brand's competitive advantage.

Question 31

Positioning statements should be lengthy and very detailed in order to communicate efficiently.

Question 32

When writing a good positioning statement, knowledge of the competition is irrelevant.

Question 33

Apple's reputation as an innovative company demonstrates its use of the product leadership strategy.

Question 34

Walmart has a very straightforward positioning statement: "Save money.Live better."

Question 35

An element of the positioning statement may be only implied.

Question 36

The three basic corporate strategies to creating value and achieving market stature were originally described by Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema in The Discipline of Market Leaders.

Question 37

Mark needs to write the positioning statement for Company X.One of Mark's colleagues advises him that the positioning statement needs to be clearly understood by the company's employees, shareholders, and customers-but NOT by the general public since this group will not be interacting with the company.Mark's colleague has offered good advice.

Question 38

Niche positioning is a matter of exclusivity and size.

Question 39

If a brand has an exclusive image and distribution chain, it needs to promote it as much as possible.

Question 40

In marketing, USP stands for unique strategic position.

Question 41

Which of the following is one of three basic corporate strategies for creating value and achieving market stature?

A) operational excellence
B) development leadership
C) quality placement
D) customer innovation

Question 42

Shannon is struggling to communicate who Company ABC is compared to the competition.Shannon wants to communicate that Company ABC's brand has the benefits that the target market will value.Shannon is engaged in what marketing activity?

A) segmenting
B) targeting
C) positioning
D) advertising

Question 43

Marketers and senior managers like to see graphical depictions of where their brands and their competitors' brands are in their customers' minds.What are these called?

A) histograms
B) perceptual maps
C) genograms
D) position charts

Question 44

Product leadership refers to companies that

A) are good at production, delivery, price, and convenience.
B) are expensive but expected to pay off in long-term loyalty and enhanced customer lifetime value.
C) pride themselves on quality and innovation.
D) are willing to tailor their products to particular customer needs.

Question 45

Which of the following is NOT true according to this perceptual map?

A) Customers view Lexus and Lincoln as the most interchangeable of the brands.
B) The Tesla and Prius are not competing with each other.
C) People in segment 1 prefer Tesla or Prius to Lincoln or Lexus.
D) People in segment 2 seek nice luxury at inexpensive prices.

Question 46

Which of the following positioning combinations makes the most sense?

A) low price, low quality, exclusive availability, heavy promotions
B) high price, low quality, exclusive availability, heavy promotions
C) low price, high quality, exclusive availability, light promotions
D) low price, low quality, widely available, heavy promotions

Question 47

Dom is reviewing a perceptual map that compares a number of jeans brands based on customer survey data.Five of the eight brands are depicted as points close together on the map.A logical conclusion Dom can draw from this perceptual map is

A) three brands are well positioned as being diverse from all other brands.
B) the five brands are viewed as most interchangeable by consumers.
C) the five brands identify a "hole" in the perceptual map.
D) consumers will most likely purchase more of the three brands not clustered together.

Question 48

Which of the following is one of the 5Cs?

A) ​communication
B) company
C) comprehension
D) ​commerce

Question 49

Positioning involves which of the marketing mix variables?

A) price, promotion, product, place
B) price, promotion, product
C) price, place
D) promotion, product, place

Question 50

Which of the following is NOT true based on this perceptual map?

A) Paris and Rome are seen as places where there is lots to see and do, but they're relatively expensive.
B) Nassau and Tampa are perceived as beach trips that are relatively affordable.
C) The first customer segment is very well-served.
D) The second customer segment is seeking more to do on their holiday and is not concerned about price.

Question 51

Positioning is mostly about

A) identity.
B) physical elements.
C) targeting.
D) advertising.

Question 52

If a company promotes broadly and heavily, it is probably looking to

A) create a niche market.
B) offer low prices.
C) move a lot of merchandise.
D) distribute through selective channels.

Question 53

In analyzing perceptual maps, one question always on the marketer's mind is:

A) Is my brand optimally segmented?
B) Is my brand experiencing holes?
C) Is my brand targeted correctly?
D) Is my brand optimally positioned?

Question 54

Operational excellence refers to companies that

A) are good at production, delivery, price, and convenience.
B) pride themselves on quality and innovation.
C) are willing to tailor their products to particular customer needs.
D) are expensive but expected to pay off in long-term loyalty and enhanced customer lifetime value.

Question 55

If a brand has an exclusive image, it would make good sense to avoid

A) overly promoting it.
B) charging a premium price.
C) engaging in light promotion.
D) distributing it through selective channels.

Question 56

Which of the following combinations should be avoided?

A) low price and low quality
B) high price and high quality
C) heavy promotion and low (exclusive) availability
D) heavy promotion and high availability

Question 57

__________ in perceptual maps offer(s) intriguing possibilities for new market opportunities.

A) Brands
B) Holes
C) Targeting
D) Positioning

Question 58

Brands depicted as points in the map close together are those perceived as

A) similar.
B) different.
C) expensive.
D) high-quality.

Question 59

A CEO is considering how he wants his company to be positioned.He has thought of it as the coolest brand and the brand with the best value.Which of the following is true about his predicament?

A) He can't position it as the coolest brand.
B) He can't position it as the brand with the best value.
C) He can probably achieve either of these goals, but not both.
D) He can achieve both of these goals.

Question 60

Customer intimacy refers to companies that

A) pride themselves on quality and innovation.
B) are willing to tailor their products to particular customer needs.
C) target and position themselves high in the market.
D) are good at production, delivery, price, and convenience.

Question 61

When you are writing a positioning statement, if you don't have real differences and cannot see a way to create them, then you can create a difference based on

A) image.
B) the future.
C) opinion.
D) data.

Question 62

Your company manufactures several different basic appliances that are suitable for young adults establishing their own homes for the first time.Which of the following strategies would you use?

A) high quality product, lower price, light promo, wide distribution
B) ​high quality product, lower price, heavy promo, exclusive channels
C) low quality product, lower price, heavy promo, wide distribution
D) low quality product, lower price, light promo, wide distribution

Question 63

To write a positioning statement, you should answer all of the following questions EXCEPT:

A) Who are you trying to persuade?
B) Who are you competing with?
C) How are you better?
D) What are your weaknesses?

Question 64

If you want to sell unique wristbands to the 250 participants in a special boating event to raise funds for research for a rare disease, which of the following strategies would you select?

A) high quality product, low price, heavy promo, exclusive channels
B) high quality product, high price, heavy promo, exclusive channels
C) ​high quality product, high price, light promo, exclusive channels
D) high quality product, high price, light promo, wide distribution

Question 65

A positioning statement will __________ customers who are not addressed in the statement.

A) be used by
B) have no meaning to
C) encourage purchases by
D) be confusing to

Question 66

In his books on Competitive Strategy, __________ discusses generic strategies driven by keeping costs down and prices competitive, leading by differentiation (e.g., excellence in quality or innovation), or when appropriate, niche positioning.

A) Mark Patton
B) Mitchell Paul
C) Matthew Pilsner
D) Michael Porter

Question 67

A positioning statement can be a foundation for

A) product descriptions.
B) communication with external audiences.
C) market research.
D) product development.

Question 68

Jen is developing the positioning statement for a new line of sunglasses.In a meeting, the marketing team tells Jen that she has succinctly and clearly expressed the competitive advantage of the new sunglasses brand.The team approves of the way Jen wants to express the brand's competitive advantage, and tells her to continue her work on fully developing the positioning statement.Which element of crafting the positioning statement has Jen's team just approved?

A) positioning
B) target marketing
C) target segmenting
D) unique selling proposition

Question 69

What do the letters of USP represent?

A) ultimate selling proposition
B) unique selling proposition
C) unique selling product
D) universal selling point

Question 70

When writing a positioning statement, it is a good idea to abstract from the level of the brand's attributes to the __________ benefits to the customer.

A) concrete
B) impractical
C) intangible
D) money-related

Question 71

Which of these companies uses a strategy of operational excellence?

A) BMW
B) McDonald's
C) IBM
D) Apple

Question 72

Joseph is having trouble writing a good positioning statement for the accounting software his company sells.What could be causing Joseph's problem?

A) His software is too expensive.
B) His software is like his competitors' software.
C) His software can be sold online and in computer stores.
D) His software is unique.

Question 73

The positioning statement can serve as an internal memorandum keeping all managers aligned as a basic guiding principle in all their collective decisions, so as to enhance the likelihood of __________ in the results of those decisions.

A) innovation
B) consistencies
C) success
D) employees' support

Question 74

Who is the target segment for the Alphatronics positioning statement: "We at Alphatronics are the gym for the serious body builder."

A) serious body builders
B) employees at Alphatronics
C) anyone who reads the positioning statement
D) people who want to join a gym to lose a few pounds

Question 75

The USP concept captures the

A) product category.
B) target segment.
C) product's position.
D) competition.

Question 76

Once a company has decided upon its positioning, either for the corporation as a whole, or for one of its brands, it must be able to communicate __________ the parameters of that position to __________.

A) succinctly, a number of audiences
B) verbosely, a number of audiences
C) succinctly, one audience
D) verbosely, one audience

Question 77

Who originally described the three basic corporate strategies to creating value and achieving market stature?

A) Treacy and Wiersema
B) Tracy and Wiseman
C) Thompson and Walters
D) Tisdale and Winters

Question 78

A positioning statement captures how you want to

A) be perceived.
B) manage your business.
C) describe your customers.
D) improve your product.

Question 79

Which of these companies uses a product leadership strategy?

A) Apple
B) FedEx
C) Verizon
D) McDonald's

Question 80

Which of these companies uses a strategy of customer intimacy?

A) BMW
B) Apple
C) McDonald's
D) Verizon