A small proportion of owners actively express dissatisfaction with their cars, while a much larger proportion switch brands upon replacement. It would be more efficient to approach the brand owner's question directly through an examination of loyalty. At the 'macro' level a brand's equity lies in the nature and strength of the relationship enjoyed with consumers, while at the 'micro' level it moves to consideration of the individual customers or owners. The issue is to identify the strength of the relationship each owner has with the brand. A classification of loyalty groups is defined with a description of how this contributes to an improved understanding of the market place.
Customer satisfaction is in fact a misnomer.
The issues for brand owners go wider than a narrow focus on a small group of aggrieved customers, forcing recognition of the importance of the marketing function in a world where brand switchers consist largely of people drawn away from their current brand by competing attractions of other brands. Lucile Rameckers, Project Manager, SKIM Analytical, The Netherlands. It is based on the means-end chain theory. The attractiveness of the laddering method lies in the ease in which emotional information can be integrated with quantitative information. The permanent brand information system allows Volkswagen and its agency to define their advertising strategy for the subsequent period, establishing factors ranging from which model will receive priority to what the concept will be for each car, all focused on the construction of the corporate image.