Consumers act and react on the basis of their perceptions, and most of the time not on the basis of objective reality. You see, for each person “reality” might be totally personal and different based on a person’s needs, wants, values, and personal experiences. Thus for us marketers, a consumers perception is much more important than our reality.
Great, how do we control consumer perception?
Many companies attempt to influence this perception unfortunately through trickery and manipulation. Some, just by presenting themselves in the best possible light. Advertisements also emphasize the quality and convenience of a product or service, hoping to gain a consumer perception of high value.
But one of the most effective ways to influence consumer perception is through product positioning. You see, consumers will always compare and analyze products in the marketplace, whether based on features of the product itself, price, or even the packaging and image. Thus companies must have a positioning concept in order to survive in the competitive marketplace. And the best way to do this is to occupy some sort of market niche with regards to your product or service and excel in that niche.
