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Brand Relevance: Making Competitors Irrelevant - always yours

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DEFINING AND MANAGING THE CATEGORY OR SUBCATEGORY 237<br />

• Diesel sedans — good gas mileage, clean driving, environmentally<br />

sensitive drivers<br />

• 4 - wheel - drive SUVs — stylish, comfortable, good gas mileage,<br />

outdoor lifestyle<br />

Selecting the core or priority associations is thus a crucial<br />

step in managing the new category or subcategory. What are<br />

the key associations? What are the salient features and benefi ts?<br />

Should it have a personality? What distinguishes it from other<br />

categories or subcategories? What is the link to the customer?<br />

What are the emotional, self - expressive, and social benefi ts<br />

delivered? What one, two, or fi ve characteristics defi ne the category<br />

or subcategory?<br />

There follows a discussion of a dozen and a half or so potential<br />

associations or dimensions, summarized in Figure 8.2 , on<br />

which new categories or subcategories have frequently been<br />

defi ned. There are others as well, but the successful new offerings<br />

usually have some combination of items from this set. And<br />

in most cases, it is a combination of associations. It is rare for a<br />

strong new offering from a fi rm that aspires to create a category<br />

or subcategory to be based on a single association.<br />

Having a list of widely used category and subcategory<br />

association - based defi nitions can also help those attempting<br />

to develop a new offering. As suggested in Chapter Six , this<br />

set of options can provide one starting point. Each can be<br />

evaluated as to its potential in the context at hand. Some<br />

will not be appropriate, whereas others might be promising<br />

and still others very promising. In any case it can stimulate<br />

ideas for new concepts.<br />

The fi rst group in Figure 8.2 relates to the functional benefi<br />

ts driving a value proposition. The second group extends<br />

beyond functional benefi ts to include factors that drive a customer<br />

relationship, addressing such dimensions as personality,<br />

shared interests and values, passion, or social programs. Each

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