Positioning Exercise

Motorcycles Hotels

Yamaha Hilton Hotels

Honda Intercontinental Hotels

Kawasaki Marriott

Instructions

1. Choose one category of products.

2. Choose any two companies within that product category.

3. Go to the company websites. You may have to click through to the product info.

4. Find and review descriptions of three different products. For example, three types of motorcycles by Honda and three by Yamaha; or three types of properties by Hilton and three by Holiday-Inn. Try to choose pairs of similar products from each firm (e.g, Hampton Inn vs. HI Express).

5. Find evidence of (or actual) positioning statements for these products. You might find such evidence in product descriptions, product overviews, advertising samples, product reviews cited, and/or product awards cited, among other places.

Heres an example from Intercontinental Hotel Groups Staybridge Suites site:

More than an extended-stay hotel an extended-stay community.

We have everything you need for a comfortable and complete extended stay:

• Spacious suites with full kitchens
• Complimentary Breakfast Buffet
• Free High-Speed Internet Access
• Sundowner Evening Reception
• Free local phone calls

6. Compare the two companies to determine to what degree they are going after the same target market(s) with the products you selected. If they are, how do their approaches differ? Also, try to determine which growth strategy (see Exhibit 9-2) each company is following and discuss that.

7. Summarize your findings regarding the two companies positioning in a two-page write-up. You might include some of the following (suggestive list only):
   • degree of physical versus perceptual positioning used
   • segmentation bases used
   • use of features versus benefits in product descriptions