Brand Relevance: Making Competitors Irrelevant - always yours

64 BRAND RELEVANCE
for example, a car is or is not a hybrid, then the screen is easily
applied. However, if the criterion is low versus high gas mileage,
and there is uncertainly about the gas mileage of alternatives,
the screen may allow more brands to pass. The screen may
also depend on the reliability of the data. A study of apartment
choice revealed that more apartments tended to be screened
out if the information as to size or location was reliable. 20 If the
information was less reliable, then more alternatives were likely
to be included. Respondents were reluctant to exclude options
when the information was uncertain.
The challenge for the brand manager or marketing executive
seeking to defi ne a new category or subcategory is to position
the category or subcategory around one or more clearly defi ned
dimensions, with a bar set as unambiguously as possible. It is
thus helpful to fi nd a feature or use context that is connected
with little ambiguity to the brand and not to other brands.
One option is to elevate a dimension and then suggest that
only the best brand on that dimension should be considered. So
Hyundai ’ s “ America ’ s best warranty ” and General Mills ’ claim
that no brand will have more fi ber than Fiber One both provide
a criteria cutoff that is clear — accept only the best on key
dimensions. By accepting this argument, the consumer may not
feel that the brand is delivering what is literally the best but can
be sure that the brand is at least very close to the best and that
it is simply not worth the trouble to fi ne - tune the analysis.
Measuring Relevance
The measurement of relevance needs to start with a well - defi ned
category or subcategory. If there is a label, such as energy bars
or minicomputers, that is helpful. If no label is accepted by
the marketplace, then a tight description is needed — “ shaving
products for women, ” for example. Then the fi rst dimension of
relevance would be measured by a series of questions refl ecting
the probability that the respondent will buy the category or