LINKING CUSTOMERS AND PRODUCTS BY MEANS-END CHAIN ANALYSIS

When making purchasing decisions, customers evaluate products from the perspective of the benefits they provide and values that they hold. Means-end theory implies that the efficiency of marketing strategies and promotional activities are based on the solidness and consistency of linkages between product attributes, benefits and values. To analyze these linkages with customers of Slovenian furniture products, a laddering methodology was applied. The results show that nine dominant chains exist which link the most important attributes with the desired benefits and values. The findings of the laddering analysis were also used as a basis for an assessment of Slovene furniture company advertisements. This assessment shows that furniture advertisements in the Slovene market are still mainly product focused and they fail to emphasize the desired benefits and/or values. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]