Multi Dimensional Scaling: Cases*

Case 1: Toothpaste

Oral-B toothpaste, a new entrant to Indian market, wanted to know the Brand Positioning of 8
toothpaste brands as per consumer perceptions. It wanted to do a market gap analysis too. So it hired
market research agency IMRB and decided to conduct a consumer research. 200 respondents were
incentivized to participate in the research. They were divided into equal parts and hold similar kind of
characteristics. IMRB conducted the research in 2 steps. In step 1, one group of respondents were
shown cards with the names of 2 brands on each card. All possible pairs were shown to them.
Respondents were asked to indicate the distances between the Brands on each card as per their
perceptions on a scale of 0 to 10, with the higher numbers indicating greater distances (dissimilarity).
The data thus obtained was averaged out and converted into a matrix which is given in the excel file ‘1
Data-MDS-toothpaste.xlsx’ (sheet 1). The brands considered were:

1.Oral-B

2.Babool

3.Close-up

4.Colgate

5.Pepsodent

6.Dabur-red

7.Sensodyne

8.Sach

Step 1 is a similarity judgment research. Here, we will get raw consumer perception.

Then IMRB went for step 2 of the research. Here, the other matched group of respondents were asked
to evaluate the same 8 brands on the major drivers of buyer preferences. They will rate the brand in the
scale of 1 to 7 with 1=low & 7=high. Here respondents rate brands on identified attributes.

These were:

1.Teeth whitening

2.Prevention of tooth decay

3.Affordable pricing

4.Pleasant taste

*The cases are developed for class room discussion only. The data used in the case are fictional.
5.Germ killing power

Data are given in the excel file ‘1 Data-MDS-toothpaste.xlsx’ (sheet 2). In step 2 we will get perception
related to attribute.

Look at the excel file given to you. Apply the appropriate method and answer the following questions.

Questions:

Q.1. Identify the number of dimensions used by consumers to evaluate the brands.

Q.2. State the brand scores on each dimension (stimulus coordinates).

Q.3. Determine the constituent attributes of each dimension by combining the data obtained from both
parts of the research.

Q.4. Label each dimension based on their constituent attributes.

Q.5. Draw Perceptual maps with the dimensions as the axes. Plot the positions of each brand based on
their stimulus coordinate scores. Interpret the maps appropriately.

Case 2: Men’s Clothing

VanHusen desires to understand the brand positioning of 8 men’s clothing brands as per consumer
perceptions. For this purpose, they have conducted a suitable research in 2 parts: Part A : MDS ( Non-
attribute based) & Part B : Attribute based.

The Brands considered were:

1.PeterEngland
2.VanHusen
3.BlackBerry
4.LouisPhilippe
5.JohnPayers
6.Parx
7.AllenSolley
8.Arrow

The attributes used in Part B were :

a) Brand Image
b) Texture
c) Durability
d) Design
e) Affordable Price

*The cases are developed for class room discussion only. The data used in the case are fictional.
 f) Crease-resistant

Data are given in the excel file ‘2 Data-MDS-Clothing.xlsx’ (sheet 1 & 2). Look at the excel file given to
you. Apply the appropriate method and answer the following questions.

Questions:

Q.1. Identify the number of dimensions used by consumers to evaluate the brands.

Q.2. State the brand scores on each dimension (stimulus coordinates).

Q.3. Determine the constituent attributes of each dimension by combining the data obtained from both
parts of the research.

Q.4. Label each dimension based on their constituent attributes.

Q.5. Draw Perceptual maps with the dimensions as the axes. Plot the positions of each brand based on
their stimulus coordinate scores. Interpret the maps appropriately.

*The cases are developed for class room discussion only. The data used in the case are fictional.