Influences of Category Structure on Brand Positioning and Choice

Abstract

Consumers categorize products to facilitate storage and retrieval of product information. Marketers who understand these processes can develop marketing strategies that may improve the likelihood that their brands are chosen. We integrate two areas of categorization research in marketing: 1) the formation of initial category perceptions as a function of learning goal, and 2) the influence of brand positioning strategies of consumers on category structure when a new brand is discrepant. Hypotheses are presented about the effects of initial category structures on the evaluation of subsequently introduced brands, the effects of category structure on choice, and the influence of brand positioning on the updating of category perceptions. Results indicate four contributions.