We were introduced to the working of Perceptual Mapping
techniques in the class on Wednesday which further simplifies analyzing the
data from the Market Research conducted. The entire 2 sessions were dedicated
to the understanding of the working of the PerMaps.
PERMAP is a program that uses multidimensional scaling (MDS)
to reduce multiple pairwise relationships to 2-D pictures, commonly called
perceptual maps. The use of MDS for the construction of perceptual maps is well
developed and several computer programs are available. The purpose of PERMAP is
to provide particularly convenient method of producing perceptual maps and to
do so in a way that helps the researcher avoid a number of common mistakes, as
described in following sections. A fully interactive, visually oriented tool
has some important advantages for these purposes and was a prime consideration
in PERMAP's development.
Usefulness of
Perceptual Maps:
A major advantage ofMDS and perceptual maps is that they
deal with problems associated with substantiating and communicating results
based on data involving more than two dimensions. An additional advantage of
using perceptual maps is that they are low in experimental contamination. That
is, the method does not require a prior knowledge of the attributes or stimuli
to be mapped. Another important aspect of perceptual maps is that they are
forgiving of missing or imprecise data points. Whereas some analytical
techniques cannot tolerate missing elements in the input matrix, MDS results
are often unaffected.
Existing Perceptual
Mapping Difficulties:
Although the theory behind making perceptual maps is well
developed, its application has been controversial. There are four major
concerns that PERMAP can help alleviate. These include avoiding local minima
(i.e., configurations that are optimal with respect to small changes in
configuration but not optimal with respect to all possible changes), proving
complete convergence, minimizing the influence ofoutliers, and combining
multiple correlation matrices. With care, batch-operated programs can be used
in such a manner that all ofthese difficulties are properly addressed, but
moving to a visually interactive program renders these difficulties easier to
deal with.
- By Sidharth Sivapurapu
Team F
Perceptual mapping is a diagrammatic technique used by asset marketers that attempts to visually display the perceptions of customers or potential customers. The positioning of a brand is influenced by customer perceptions rather than by those of businesses. Want to learn how to draw perceptual maps? You can find some perceptual map templates in the diagram community of Creately to be used freely.
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