Revised - Spur or Steers? Burger perceptual position mapping for families

Comment: the selection set for this item is wider than the choice of the two brands, but for the sake of the assignment requirements, only Spur and Steers have been selected (well actually three, but one is not a burger). The two main brands have been used as differentiation and positioning require opposing brands. I have chosen subsets of pre-adolescent children as they illustrate distinct segments and subjectively different points on perceptual positioning maps.

Hypothesis

A selection of beef burger options for children may be differentiated by offerings within the set and their positions may be interpreted as beneficial by children depending on age groups, however secondary perceptions of parents and other factors may influence choices. With a multiplicity of perceptions, these can understood by perceptual mapping.

Introduction: product parity and further differentials and basis for positioning.

Performance aspects of burgers targeted at children (to tween group stage) are in parity so will not lend themselves to differentiation. The burger is a near commoditised food item globally.  The selection set (evoked set:Jean-Noel Kapferer) for this post consists of Steers and Spur. Other entities in the selection set might include Wimpy, Macdonalds, Burger King, KFC and independent outlets. Differentiation and positioning must rely not on the burger but on additions to the pack (toys) but especially on outlet performance aspects and imagery (Keller). This branding is the basis for competition between the various entities in the evoked set.

Spur differentiation and positioning in the pre-tween age group, and its impact on adults

Spur differentiation acknowledges that children are attracted to brands and will be drawn to in-outlet experiential opportunities that are extensive in the case of Spur, including jumping castles colouring-in books and non-toxic crayons, clubs, console games, loyalty points and cartoonish identity targeted at very young chilren. However children have to be accompanied by adults creating streams of revenues that extend beyond the cost of the rudimentary burger for the child, including signature adult meals and drinks. The opportunities for revenue generation are extended with a large range of choices for children, extending beyond the burger.

 Spur has made a significant investment in experiential marketing targeted at pre-tween children.

Spur play areas are designed to allow children to play while adults relax and spend.

The further benefit of the differential is that children can be occupied in site of adults, while adults will have the opportunity to interact with one another.

Spur’s primary position is a family restaurant, which encourages time in the outlet.

The draw of families will increase exposure, and some secondary adult footfall will be driven by weekday breakfasts and adult signature dishes, but this will be on the basis proximity and convenience. Notably, Spur’s above-the-line is targeted at adults through adult signature dishes. Its tagline straddles all age groups with ‘People with a taste for life’.

Spur in the tween age range

Spur is poorly positioned for the tween age range (est. 8 – 12). During this phase, During this phase children grow up, and brands enable them to define themselves and find ways to fit in with their peers.

However, as the children grow up, brands allow them to define themselves and find ways to fit in with their peers. They form their own identities and peer groups outside of the family and may find fulfillment in more independent / enabling environments, outside of the family.

Using the example of console games these will be defining to peers. Spur’s console games will be targeted at a younger age group, more suited to the family position. 

 Above: a child plays a console game in Spur. The games are not targeted at tweens. Image for illustrative purposes. Sample image from Alamy.

However, the tween’s social reference games will be targeted at social acceptance, and more violent. The differentials targeted at pre-tween children embedded in the Spur brand will be recognised by the tween social group, and may lead to social pressure, so the tween will likely avoid association with the Spur brand.

Steers differential and positioning with reference to tweens and adults

In the selection set, Steers has opposing differentials to Spur, as well as a different position, that may be more suited to the tween, in spite of the parity of the burger in the two age categories, in this case the Steers Brat Pack.

Steer’s differential lies in the quality of the burger made from pure beef, a reduced variance in menu (primarily burgers) with tailored price breaks to suit various budgets, and rapid progress through the outlet. 

Steers seating is for convenience only, and not central to the experience.

From the point of view of the tween this does not expose her / him to experiential activities that may be a social liabilities, allows for an identity forming branding association (high degree of visual identity) as well as time efficiency to pursue own identity forming activities, for instance a console game.

Steers position is generally not aged based and concentrates of a fast food experience that is based on the quality of the burger and speed. Its tagline also straddles various age groups, ‘Real food made real good’.

From the adult point of view, it enables adults to make choices that are not influenced by time in the outlet, and these choices can be tailored to the budget of the adult.

Perceptual mapping choices taking into account pre-tweens, tweens and adults

Where a pre-tween and a tween are in competition to make a choice between a highly experiential outlet (Spur targeted at the pre-tween) and a fast food outlet (Steer enabling the tween to return rapidly to the console) the tween will perceptually dislike the time away from the console but will dislike the greater amount of time entailed in the pre-tweens choice of the experiential outlet which entails more time and potential social liability (figure 1).

Figure 1: pre-tween vs tween perceptual map

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In order to reduce the tween’s discomfort, but allow themselves leisure in the experiential outlet where they can relax but still observe their children, the parents induce acceptance of the pre-tween’s choice by promising additional time on the console at a later stage (Figure 2).

Figure 2: pre-tween vs tween with parental perceptually mapped choice and factoring in third brand (console game) as inducement

By using the inducement of access to the third brand, outside of the selection set, the parents improve the outcome of the selection (Figure 2 above, shift from 2 to 3).

This also proves that positions in selection sets can be influenced by positions and brands that are not related to the same selection set.

As an extension of this, and by analogy, the perceptual mapping of both Steers and Spur might also have been influenced by parental consideration of availability of parking.

Conclusion

By using perceptual mapping resulting from differentials and positioning of superficially similar brands offerings, and with reference to external brands and age groups, brand choices can be qualitatively projected and reasonable multi-layered perceptual maps can be laid out as hypotheses for further testing for brand managers.