Product Development
and Mapping
BMI3C
Remember the Marketing
Concept?
 Consumers and competitors SHOULD
BE CONSIDERED in every important
business decision.
 Product mapping, a marketing
opportunity analysis, or a benefit analysis
are used to study the consumer and/or
competitor’s place in the product
development.
Product Mapping
 Product mapping is used to determine common
characteristics among a group of similar
products
 Common attributes emerge from the groupings
that determine what consumers want
 Product maps instruct the product development
team as to what product to make and what
features to include when manufacturing it
Product Mapping
 One method of product mapping is to put a
group of products on a table and ask research
participants to group the items using the most
common factors that they perceive
 Product mapping can also demonstrate the
individual product attributes that consumers
like or don’t like. (eg. Easy-to-open package
versus difficult-to-open package)
Product Map for Frozen Novelties
Step 1:
• Participants asked to sort a variety of frozen novelties into
groupings that represent the most desirable features of a
frozen novelty
• The following groups emerged:
Easy to eat
Ice cream sandwich
Frozen juice bar
popsicle
Healthy
Frozen juice bar
Frozen yogurt
Interesting flavour
Least expensive
Packaged ice cream cone Ice cream sandwich
Frozen juice bar
popsicle
Product Map for Frozen Novelties
Step 2: Participants were then asked to place the novelties
on several rating scales:
Messy
Easy to eat
Ice cream bar packaged ice cream cone frozen yogurt ice cream sandwich frozen juice bar popsicle
Unhealthy
Healthy
Packaged ice cream cone ice cream sandwich ice cream bar popsicle frozen yogurt frozen juice bar
Boring/traditional
Fun/interesting flavour
Popsicle ice cream bar ice cream sandwich frozen yogurt frozen juice bar packaged ice cream cone
Expensive
Inexpensive
Packaged ice cream cone frozen juice bar ice cream sandwich frozen yogurt ice cream bar popsicle
Product Mapping
 Create a flow chart to illustrate product
mapping for:
 Tortilla chips, potato chips, rice cakes, pretzels
 Categories:





Tasty Flavour
Crispy
Messy
Durable (doesn’t break in bag)
Healthy
MOA
 Market Opportunity Analysis
 MOA is a situational analysis which
defines the various opportunities for a
specific brand.
 The MOA is made up of 3 parts
 Overall Market
 Indirect Competition
 Direct Competition
Part 1: Overall Market
 The MOA identifies the category under
investigation that defines the brand.
 This category is broad and will include
every type of product that belongs in the
category. (eg. Toothpaste is a broad
category and all toothpaste brands would
be listed)
Part 2: Indirect
Competition
 The MOA groups the competitive brands by
features.
 Each classification is further simplified. (eg.
Frozen desserts are classified as cake,
cookies, pie, ice, creaming, etc. These are
then further simplified into flavours, sizes,
package types, etc.
 Companies only consider pursuing a indirect
opportunity after all direct opportunities are
exhausted.
Part 3: Direct Competition
 The MOA identifies all competitive brands that
compete for a share of the SAME market. (eg. All
brands of tartar-control toothpaste)
 Once the direct competition has been grouped
together, the MOA looks for gaps. (eg. There is only
one toothpaste with both a whitener and a tartar-control
formula)
 The question is:
 a) is the market not large enough for another brand?
 b) is there an opportunity for a competitor?
OR
 The MOA can determine the market potential of a
specific type of product.
BENEFIT ANALYSIS
 Any feature of a product or service
should add utility and provide some
benefit to the consumer.