从消费者镜头看待品牌定位.doc

毕业论文（设计）外文翻译题目： 基于顾客心智的品牌定位研究一、外文原文标题：Brand Positioning Through the Consumers Lens原文：Brand Positioning Through the Consumers LensABSTRACTBrand positioning is a core concept in marketing. Despite the importance of the concept, however, there is limited research in the field of positioning clarifying to what extent various brand positioning alternatives affect consumer perceptions and how positioning effectiveness can be best measured. The present dissertation consists of three complementary empirical studies aimed at shedding light on the latter issues. The first study explores the impact of distinct types of brand positioning strategies on consumer categorization processes. The results of the qualitative study provide evidence that consumers categorize brands based upon their underlying positioning strategies. More specifically, consumers classify brands that share similar types of positioning bases into the same category. The second study, which builds the cornerstone of this research project, involves the development and validation of a comprehensive, consumer-derived scale, measuring brand positioning effectiveness. The latter is modeled as a multidimensional construct capturing conceptually-relevant dimensions of positioning success (namely favorability, dissimilarity, uniqueness, and credibility). Altogether, nine complementary substudies are presented aimed at developing the scale and testing its dimensionality, reliability, and validity. To ascertain the scales generalizability and stability, data from several product categories are used for scale development and validation purposes. The third study presented in this dissertation pays attention to the open question whether the use of certain positioning strategies (e.g., feature-based positioning) results in more superiorly positioned brands than the application of other strategies (e.g., user-based positioning). For this purpose, a within- and between-subjects design study is conducted that investigates the direct impact of brand positioning strategies on positioning effectiveness, measured from a consumer perspective.Specifically, four distinct positioning strategies of real brands are evaluated in terms of positioning effectiveness, while controlling for brand-specific, product class-specific, and socio demographic influences. Consistent with the hypotheses derived from a comprehensive literature review, significant differences in terms of positioning effectiveness between the focal positioning strategies are detected. The dissertation concludes with a discussion of the theoretical, methodological, and managerial implication. Furthermore, the limitations associated with the studies outlined in the dissertation are addressed and resulting avenues for future research are presented.INTRODUCTIONIn times of an over-communicated world that is crowded with offerings, where even strong brands are becoming increasingly similar (Clancy and Trout 2002), positioning is often acknowledged to be the tool of competitive warfare (Ries and Trout 1986). Brand positioning is the foundation of branding (Anderson and Carpenter 2005) as marketing activities and programs are largely based upon a brands positioning strategy (Aaker and Shansby 1982; Keller and Lehmann 2006; Myers 1996).Positioning is defined as “the act of designing the companys offering and image to occupy a distinctive place in the mind of the target market. The end result of positioning is the successful creation of a customer-focused value proposition, a cogent reason why the target market should buy the product” (Kotler 2003, p. 308). A positioning strategy is “an attempt to move brands to a particular location within a perceptual product space” (Dillon, Domzal, and Madden 1986, p. 29) and is generally implemented to communicate a brand image and differentiate the brand from competitors (to achieve a position)” (Park, Jaworski, and MacInnis 1986, p. 139).The essence of brand positioning from the companys perspective is developing key brand associations in the mindset of consumers aimed at differentiating the brand from competitors and thereby attaining the highest possible extent of competitive superiority (Keller and Lehmann 2006, Keller, Sternthal, and Tybout 2002). This set of associations may cover physical attributes, benefits, or life-style, usage occasion, or user image among others (Aaker, Batra, and Myers 1992). Thus, positioning does not refer to what is done with the product itself, but what is done with the product in the mind of the consumer (Rie and Trout 1986) that is how consumers perceive, think, and feel about a brand relative to competitive entries (Czerniawsky and Maloney 1999; Ries and Trout 1986). Through positioning, two identical products may be viewed as different or two rather dissimilar products may be viewed as substitutes (Evans, Moutinho, and van Raaij 1996) by altering the beliefs about a brand (see Kalra and Goodstein 1998). A typical example is bottled mineral water: even though the physical characteristics of the products are (nearly) identical, well-positioned brands like Evian are more successful in the marketplace than their competitors.The positioning decision is central to the success of a brand (Pham and Muthukrishnan 2002; Punj and Moon 2002) as it directly shapes customers perceptions and choice decisions (Aaker and Shansby 1982; Carpenter, Glazer, and Nakamoto 1994). More specifically, brand positioning has an impact on important consumer-based outcome variables such perceived price sensitivity (Kalra and Goodstein 1998), brand affect (Jewell and Barone 2007) as well as on customer derived brand equity, price margins and demand elasticity (Boulding, Lee, and Staelin 1994; Kalra and Goodstein 1998; Keller 1993; 2003). Essentially, a well-positioned brand appeals to the particular needs of a customer segment, leads to high consumer loyalty, positively shaped preferences and beliefs about brand value, and greater willingness to search for the brand (Day 1984; Schiffman and Kanuk 2007; Trommsdorff and Paulssen 2005). Ultimately, positioning has an impact on the financial performance of a company (Day 1990; Roth 1992, 1995; 1995b; Urban and Hauser 1993). In general, if the positioning by a company is done effectively, it has the potential to build powerful brands; however, if done incorrectly, it can also result in fatal branding disasters (see Haig 2005).The Role of Brand Positioning in MarketingBrand positioning is traditionally discussed as part of the segmentation, targeting and positioning (STP) model (see Dibb and Simkin 1996; Lilien and Rangaswamy 2003), which is considered to be the basis for all marketing strategy (Kotler 2003). The first step in this model is segmentation, which involves dividing a heterogeneous market into a number of mutually exclusive sub markets, i.e., homogeneous groups (also referred to as segments). Formally, segmentation is defined as the “process of subdividing a market into distinct subsets of customers that behave in the same way or have similar needs” (Bennett 1995; p. 165). Segmentation is essential since “most (probably all) markets are not monolithic but instead consist of submarkets that are relatively homogeneous in terms of what they need or want from firms offering similar types of products of services (Myers 1996, p. 16). It is important to form segments because they are likely to respond differently to various marketing activities (Myers 1996) and are relevant for explaining and predicting customer behavior to a companys marketing actions (Wind and Cardozo 1974). Segments can be based upon (and are thus homogeneous in terms of) various consumer characteristics such as demographics, lifestyles, behavioural patterns, needs, values, and other characteristics (see Wedel and Kamakura 2000; Myers 1996 for an overview). In this regard, it is essential that buyer groups (that are targeted) respond similarly to companys marketing activities. Overall, Wind (1982, p. 79) contends that the “real value of product positioning is revealed only when the positioning is coupled with an appropriate market segmentation strategy.”The second step in the STP model is the target market selection. Targeting involves assessing the various segments identified in the segmentation process with the aim of determining in which submarkets the company should compete (Friedmann and Lessing 1987). This assessment is primarily based upon the segments overall economic attractiveness as well the companys resources and objectives (Kotler 2003). More specifically, in evaluating the segments, particular focus is put on factors like segment size, resources required to penetrate the segment, firm strengths and weaknesses, presence of substitutes within and outside the product category (Porter 1980). In general, marketers are recommended to focus on segments which a brand can satisfy in a superior way (Kotler 2003). In this context, it is important to recall that some consumer segments value certain differential claims made by brands more than other segments, thus, the target segment decision influences the choice of the positioning.The last step in the STP model is positioning, which logically follows after the appropriate target segment has been determined (Crawford, Urban, and Buzas 1983). Positioning involves placing a brand in a way that the target market perceives it as different and superior in relation to competitors (Crawford 1985; Kotler 2003; Myers 1996)1. Positioning is important as it “sets the direction of marketing activities and programs what the brand should and should not do with its marketing” (Keller and Lehmann 2006; p. 740). Thus, the development of the marketing program should be linked to the positioning to ensure that marketing mix decisions are consistent and supportive (Aaker and Shansby 1982). For example, when a company claims high prestige, it can support this claim by charging a premium price, by limiting the number of distribution outlets, and/or by producing less than demanded (e.g., Bhat and Reddy 1998). The marketing mix can hence be viewed as “the tactical details of the brands positioning strategy, any decision on positioning has direct and immediate implications for the whole marketing mix” (Evans, Moutinho, and van Raaij 1996, p. 168). Conversely, all elements of the marketing mix promotion, pricing, distribution and, of course, the product are critical factors in positioning (Shostack 1987), since they have an impact on the perceptual space of consumers (Easingwood and Mahajan 1989; Ellson 2004; Ries and Trout 1986;).Moreover, all members of the marketing team need to be coordinated in order to become the positioning as close in consumers minds as intended by the company (Crawford 1985).Defining the ConceptMyers 1996 “It positioning is what happens in a customers mind, how customers view competing product entries”Positioning is perhaps one of the thorniest and most complex concepts in marketing (Bhat and Reddy 1998). One of the reasons for this circumstance is the issue that there is no mutual agreement among marketing scholars and practitioners about the exact meaning of the concept (Aaker and Shansby 1982; Crawford 1985; Mhlbacher, Dreher, and Gabriel-Ritter 1993; Rigger 1995). As highlighted by Blankson and Kalafatis (1999, p. 109) “there has been no single universally accepted definition of the concept of positioning.” Specifically, the boundaries of the concept are often not clearly defined the question what exactly falls under the scope of positioning has not been sufficiently answered in literature and is still subject to heavy debate in the marketing community. Table 1 presents a collection of positioning definitions from several well-known authors which clearly illustrate these issues. As can be seen from the definitions outlined in Table 1, many researchers agree that positioning is a management activity that focuses on creating associations in the mindset of consumers relative to competitors. Kotler (2003, p. 308), for example, defines positioning as “the act of designing the companys offering and image2 to occupy a distinctive place in the mind of the target market. The end result of positioning is the successful creation of a customer-focused value proposition, a cogent reason why the target market should buy the product”. For some scholars, all marketing activities that potentially create or change associations in the mindset of consumers fall under the concept of positioning (e.g., Solomon, Marshall, and Stuart 2006).Ellson (2004) notes that for others, like the pioneers of the positioning concept, Al Ries and Jack Trout (1981; 1986), positioning is a mere communications issue that involves manipulating consumer perceptions about a certain good or service (i.e., and focusing on consumer attitudes and preferences).3 At the same time, marketing scholars also refer positioning to an activity that takes place in the mindset of consumers. For example, Day (1981, p. 283) argues that “product positioning refers to the customers perceptions of the place that a product or brand occupies in a given market.” Taking this latter perspective, positioning is a consumer concept rather than a management concept.Although there are several differences between the definitions listed in Table 1, they basically all share a “perceptual” component that positioning is something that (should) happen(s) in the minds of consumers. To elaborate more on this, the next section presents a systematic overview of different perspectives of brand positioning, which should give readers more insights into the complex nature of the concept.Source：Christoph Fuchs,2008.“Brand Positioning Through the Consumers Lens”J. Wien. pp 1-8.二、翻译文章标题：从消费者镜头看待品牌定位译文：从消费者镜头看待品牌定位一、引言在市场营销中，定位是一个核心的概念。尽管概念是重要的，但是研究是有限制的，各种品牌定位在很大程度上影响消费者的感知，同时如何选择定位使品牌效果可达到最好是很重要的。本论文是由三个互补的实证研究出发,从而更有助于我们了解后者问题。第一项研究是探讨不同类型的品牌在消费者分类过程中的定位策略，这个项目研究的结果表明了在消费者品牌背后的基础上进行分类定位策略。更确切地说，消费者品牌分类是使相似类型的定位归属于同一类。第二项研究为这一研究项目奠定了基石，其涉及到全面发展、审定和测量消费者派生性、品牌定位方法的有效性。后者被视为相关概念中多维构造维度的成功定位(即正面评价的不同性、独特性和信誉)。总而言之，九种互补的研究方法是在培养规模和检验维数的可靠性和有效性。其数据来自于几种不同类别的产品，目的是用于规模发展并验证，从而确定其规模的整合和稳定性。第三个研究，提出了本研究中注重有待解决的问题：选择使用某些定位策略 (例如，基于特征的定位)而导致更多的最优定位品牌在其他方法的应用(例如,基于用户的定位)。为了达到这个目的, 其直接影响着 在内部和两者之间的学科研究设计，以及调查品牌定位策略的定位效果，同时衡量从消费者的角度来看待问题。具体地说，在四种截然不同的定位策略中，选择对品牌定位方面具有成功的的效果，控制产品的特殊性、产品的专用性，并透过其定位后的影响进行评估。通过在符合的研究假设作的综合文献资料的基础上，选择定位策略中存在的差异性之间的有效性，并对其进行重点定位检测。与此同时，在综合文献资料的基础上进行符合实际的研究假设，从而表现出在不同的定位的有效性与检测定位策略存在直接的关系。通过这个论文讨论所得出的理论、方法和管理的内涵，并通过对研究相关联的局限性所发表论文的途径及产生的原因，提出了今后的研究方向。二、介绍在产品过于拥挤的全球化交流社会，导致强势品牌正变得越来越相似(克兰西和特劳特2002)，定位常常被认为是公司战争的工具（特劳特1986）。同时定位也是品牌的基础（安德森和卡尔佩特2005），市场营销活动和项目的实现很大程度上是依据品牌定位战略（凯勒及莱曼2006;梅耶1996年）。定位是指“将公司的标志性物质和图像去占据目标市场心灵中的独特之处，定位的最终结果是成功创作一个以客户为中心的价值主张和一个具有说服力的理由，使目标市场进行购买”（科特勒2003年，第308页）。定位策略是“企图将品牌推向感性产品空间内的一个特定的地点”（狄龙和马登1986年，第29页），并普遍实施了品牌形象和通信，使其区别于竞争对手的品牌（以实现了定位）“（帕克，贾沃斯基和麦金尼斯1986年，第139页）。从公司的角度来看，品牌定位的本质是在消费者心态中发展核心品牌，并区分竞争对手的品牌，从而在可能的范围内获得最高的竞争优势而成立的（科勒和莱曼2006年，凯勒和企业Enterprise 2002），这个优势范围的成立可以包括物理属性、利益、生活风格、使用场合以及使用者的形象。（阿克尔，巴特拉，和迈尔斯 1992）因此，定位并不是指对产品本身做什么，但应该是凭借着产品对消费者心智做什么（里斯和特劳特1986），即消费者如何感知，思考和感觉有关的竞争品牌，从而区分于其他品牌。（马洛尼1999年里斯和特劳特1986）通过定位，两个相同的产品可能会被视为两个不同或不相关的产品替代，（埃文斯1996）来改变对一个品牌的观念（见卡尔拉和古德斯坦1998）。一个典型的例子是瓶装矿泉水：如依云它完美的定位使其在目标市场上比他的竞争对手更具有优越，虽然这些产品的物理特性是（几乎）相同的。定位是一个品牌成功的中心位置，（范2002）因为它直接影响客户的感知和选择的决定。（阿克尔1982;匠，雷泽，和1994年中本）更具体地说，品牌定位是一个以消费为基础的重要结果变量，（卡尔拉和古德斯坦1998）从而影响品牌知觉价格的敏感性（朱厄尔和巴罗2007年），相当于消费者衍生出品的牌资产，利润和价格需求弹性（鲍尔丁，李 1994和古德斯坦1998;凯勒1993年）。从本质上讲，良好的品牌定位呼吁出客户群体的特殊需要，导致了消费者的高忠诚度，积极塑造品牌价值的外表和理念，从而使更多的人愿意去搜寻这个品牌。（1984；希夫曼；特罗莫斯多夫；2005）。定位，最终对一个公司的财务绩效也有着影响（日1990年罗斯1992年，1995年，1995年b，城市和豪泽尔1993年）。一般来说，如果由一个公司的定位是成功的话，它有可能建立强大的品牌，但是，如果操作不正确，它也能导致品牌的灾难（见黑格2005年）。三、品牌定位在市场营销中的地位品牌定位是一个传统的概念，并作为是市场细分、目标市场和定位模型的一部分。（见迪布和西金的1996年；丽莲2003年），其被认为是托布的所有营销策略的基础（科特勒2003年）。在这个模型的第一步是市场细分，涉及分成数的相互排外市场，异构市场，即同质群体（也称为节段）。一般来说，市场细分的定义是“将市场细分成不同的子集的客户市场，使客户市场行为以同样方式或有类似需求过程进行区分（贝内特1995年第165页）。市场细分是必要的，因为大部分（可能全部）市场并非一块铁板，相对的商圈是均匀的，企业都希望他们具备一定的条件或者可以提供类似的服务产品（迈尔斯1996年，第16页）。重要的是要形成细分，因为它们可能对各种营销活动有不同市场反应（迈尔斯1996年），从一个公司的营销活动可以分析和预测客户的行为，（风能与卡多佐1974年）。市场细分是依据着（