Silver medal winners effects : implications for positioning

Abstract

When one brand is chosen over another, especially in the case of durable products (such as a car), or in the case of a high involvement service (such as a holiday) it is very likely that consumers make comparisons with the most easily imagined alternative. Two main sources of brand differentiation can be noted; one that emphasizes intra-brand differences and another that highlights inter-brand differences. It has been held that just as human beings have personalities, so do brands and this increasing anthropomorphization of brands has been recognised in the marketing literature. In simple terms, what probably is most important for a brand is to be well positioned in the mind of the market.