Surviving the process of elimination

Michael Yee, James Orlin, John R Hauser and Ely Dahan

Consumers choose brands by rapid elimination of those that do not meet their needs. Advertisers must survive this by ensuring that their brand complies with what the product `must have' (or `must not have').

Surviving the Process of Elimination

“There are a lot of layers of competition to get through . . . the challenge that Chevrolet has in marketing . . . How do you get them into the seat to even drive the car?”

Tom Shellworth, 30-year Chevrolet Dealer[As quoted in The Wall Street Journal, May 23, 2005, p. B1,“Struggling GM Rolls Out a New Marketing Strategy.”]

There are over 300 make-model combinations (brands) of automobiles available to today's consumers, but the average consumer seriously considers fewer than 10. For the other 300 or so brands, the game...

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