Integrating the Means-End Approach into the Product Positioning Process Using the Example of the HEAD Snowboarding Travel Boardbag in Germany

Diploma Thesis from the year 2010 in the subject Business economics - Offline Marketing and Online Marketing, grade: 1,0, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, language: English, abstract: The academic part of this paper discusses prevailing opinions and approaches to product positioning with a special focus on means-end theory and its significance for various aspects in the positioning process. While the means-end approach with its particular research technique and graphical representation has so far been treated as an alternative methodology to the traditional procedures, an integrated approach is elaborated as a combination of insights from means-end theory and prevalent approaches in the positioning process. The applicability of this suggested approach is demonstrated in the empirical case study of the HEAD Snowboarding Travel Boardbag in Germany. Based on the results of a focus group discussion and a successive large scale online survey, the online market of boardbags is analyzed from a means-end perspective. Subsequently the suggested integrated positioning methodology is applied to depict untapped positioning potential and derive consumer-oriented directives to realize it through an adequate marketing mix.