Understanding brand perceptions
25 July 2011
To get an accurate picture of what people want, it is important for brands to find out about existing and potential guests’ expectations. A well-executed brand positioning study will help to ensure organisations are meeting and exceeding their guests’ expectations.
A recent consumer survey conducted by ORC International found that just 37% of people rated their UK hotel experience as positive. The ad hoc survey was conducted with over 500 guests who had stayed at one of 14 UK hotels over a six-month period.
What makes an advocate?
The results showed that the midrange and budget hotels rated very well alongside the more premium brands. The mid-range to budget hotels topped the league on overall experience, value for money and likely repeat usage. However, the study also revealed that guests of the premium brands were more likely to become advocates and refer them.
It is possible that premium hotel guests are more likely to talk about their stay in social situations. In light of this, the mid-range and budget hotels might think about focusing on ways they can get guests talking about their stay.
ORC International can help you to determine key features of your brand so you can find and fill potential gaps in the marketplace. This is done using a combination of conscious techniques and the new, non-conscious MindLink™ technique. MindLink™ is designed to assess non-conscious dimensions of decision making. It combines sophisticated neuromarketing techniques, built on the foundation of Martin Lindstrom’s groundbreaking Brand Activators Framework.
Understanding and shifting market perceptions
The spider diagram shows how three brands were positioned by their guests against six different attributes. They are premium, mid-sized and budget market-leading hotels. Each brand is represented by a line; the closer the line is to the centre the less distinguishable the attribute.
The key differentiating features of the premium brand are that they are perceived as modern and good for special occasions. They also just tip the mid-range brand for being an enjoyable place to stay.
In this case we would advise that the chain maintains the top two brand-features but investigates what can be done to make it more of an enjoyable place to stay. Not surprisingly, the mid-range brand is seen to be good for business guests and situated in good locations. These two features should be promoted to guests to ensure that they are covering as much of this marketplace as possible. For this brand, we would advise that they determine what it is that makes a superior guest experience, and look at how they can deliver such a service.
The picture for the budget brand is slightly different because the results do not show any key differentiating features. They are however, covering all attributes and thus appealing to a wide audience. They may be happy to remain focused on delivering all attributes equally. If not, we would recommend that they consider strengthening their market position to give them more differentiation in the marketplace.
