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To be different or to be average?

Die Attraktivität des Durchschnittsprodukts

  • Produktpositionierung
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Abstract

Marketers tend to look for unique market positions for their products. In their few, it is best when their products deviate from other products significantly. Empirical investigations with faces in cognitive psychology show the people tend to prefer prototypical stimuli — a phenomenon referred to as beauty in average effect. A study in the automotive market demonstrates that this insight holds not just for faces but also for cars. This finding has implications for segment specific car design and for the management of variants.

Zusammenfassung

Immer wieder ist im Marketing die Frage nach jenen Facetten eines Produkts zu beantworten, die dessen Attraktivität in den Augen der K unden ausmachen. Zumeist zielen Produktmanager darauf ab, ihren E rzeugnissen eine einzigartige Position im Markt zu verleihen, die sie von den E rzeugnissen der Wettbewerber differenziert. Erkenntnisse aus der Wahrnehmungs- und K ognitionspsychologie suggerieren die besondere Attraktivität des mittleren Produkts bzw. von G ütern, die geringfügig von diesen Prototypen abweichen. Anhand von E xperimenten im Automobilmarkt lässt sich die R elevanz dieses psychologischen Befundes auch für Produkte konstatieren. Hieraus ergeben sich I mplikationen für die segmentspezifische Produktgestaltung und das Variantenmanagement.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Forschungsstelle für Customer Insight, Universität St. Gallen, Rosenbergstr. 51, CH-9000, St. Gallen, Germany

    Jan R. Landwehr &  Andreas Herrmann

  2. Lehrstuhl für Absatzwirtschaft, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Westring 425, 24118, Kiel, Germany

    Mark Heitmann

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  1. Jan R. Landwehr
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  2. Andreas Herrmann
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  3. Mark Heitmann
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Correspondence to Jan R. Landwehr.

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Wir danken drei anonymen Gutachtern für wertvolle Hinweise.

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Landwehr, J.R., Herrmann, A. & Heitmann, M. To be different or to be average?. Schmalenbachs Z betriebswirtsch Forsch 61, 226–250 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03372821

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