800 words 1. For segment B, which has a higher evaluation – Tesla or Mercedes Benz? How about for segment C? 2. Which of the three segments (A,B or C) has the highest attitude towards the brand Tesla? Why? 3. An individual from segment A is currently

Marketing Strategy: Multiattribute Table

1

In a survey, respondents were asked their perception about various brands of vehicles. They were asked

to rate each brand on a scale of 1 to 10 on the dimensions of quality, safety, performance, fuel

economy, design, technology, and value. The average values across all respondents are shown below.

There was general consistency between respondents in their evaluations of the brands, and so

responses were not segmented.

Perceptions of Brands

Features Tesla Mercedes Benz

Subaru Volvo Toyota Honda Ford Chevy Jeep VW

Quality 9 8 6 6 6 6 4 4 3 3

Safety 6 9 8 9 9 7 6 5 3 6

Performance 8 8 6 4 6 6 7 7 6 6

Fuel Economy

10 4 6 5 7 7 6 5 4 3

Design 6 8 6 4 5 6 4 5 4 7

Technology 7 8 5 5 6 7 5 5 5 6

Value 2 4 5 5 8 7 7 7 5 6

The survey also asked respondents the following question: “On a scale of 0 to 10, how important are

the following features to you if you were to purchase a vehicle within the next three months?”

Respondents were then asked to rate each of the seven dimensions. Three segments were identified,

and their results are shown below.

Relative importance of features by Segment

On a scale of 0 to 10, how important are the following features to you if you were to purchase a vehicle

within the next three months (where 0 is not at all important and 10 is very important)?

Features Segment A Segment B Segment C

Quality 8 10 6

Safety 10 0 8

Performance 0 8 0

Fuel Economy 5 0 10

Design 0 7 0

Technology 0 8 10

Value 8 0 0

Marketing Strategy: Multiattribute Table

2

In Excel, use spreadsheets to calculate each segment’s attitude towards the brand across the seven

features. Print out three separate charts (one for each segment) that show the calculations and overall

attitudinal score for each brand.

Questions:

1. For segment B, which has a higher evaluation – Tesla or Mercedes Benz? How about for

segment C?

2. Which of the three segments (A,B or C) has the highest attitude towards the brand Tesla? Why?

3. An individual from segment A is currently considering purchasing from one of the ten brands.

According to the data, which two brands would he likely have the strongest attitude towards?

Which brand does he have the lowest attitude towards?

4. How does each segment differ in terms of the relative importance of features when evaluating

brands?

5. For segment C, what is Tesla’s main competitive advantage? Explain.

6. For segment B, what would be a false advantage for Mercedes Benz? Explain.

7. What type of choice heuristics do you think exist when consumers purchase cars?

8. What is cognitive dissonance, and how does it relate to choice heuristics and customer

satisfaction/dissatisfaction?