Chapter 7
Company Case: Bentley Motors: Differentiation and Positioning in International Market
The mission of Bentley Motors, the definitive British luxury car company, to produce best cars in their class, has remained unchanged since it was expressed eloquently by its founder Walter Owen Bentley in London in 1919. Located in Crewe, England, since 1946 and owned since 1998 by Volkswagen AG, Bentley Motors is an international company developing and crafting one of the world’s most desirable luxury cars.
There are many unmistakable characteristics that define a Bentley – distinctive design, handcrafted luxury, supreme comfort, ultimate performance, and a refined and exhilarating driving experience. Yet it is the company’s brand imaging through differentiation and positioning that makes the quintessentially British brand unique today. To many, owning a Bentley is not about getting from A to B but about getting there with flair infused with advanced technology and classic hand craftsmanship at the pinnacle of British luxury motoring. Based around the concept of “Britishness” in image and design.
Bentley has succeeded in differentiating its position in the global luxury car market through a market-drive strategy based on responsive cross-market segmentation.
Cross-Market Segmentation
The traditional markets of Bentley Motors are the United States, the United Kingdom, and Europe, which were identified by the company using two of the traditional market segmentation variables: the level of a nation’s economic development and per capital gross domestic product (GDP). Bentley had enjoyed high sales in these economically developed markets, especially in the boom of the 1980s. In the 1990s, it struggled to reach similar level of sales, which led to a major investment in the facility, new-product development, and brand re-positioning in 1999. The brand reached the height of its heyday in the 1920s and 1930s, and the Bentley Boys winning the 24-hour race in Le Mans in 2003
The mission of Bentley Motors, the definitive British luxury car company, to produce best cars in their class, has remained unchanged since it was expressed eloquently by its founder Walter Owen Bentley in London in 1919. Located in Crewe, England, since 1946 and owned since 1998 by Volkswagen AG, Bentley Motors is an international company developing and crafting one of the world’s most desirable luxury cars.
There are many unmistakable characteristics that define a Bentley – distinctive design, handcrafted luxury, supreme comfort, ultimate performance, and a refined and exhilarating driving experience. Yet it is the company’s brand imaging through differentiation and positioning that makes the quintessentially British brand unique today. To many, owning a Bentley is not about getting from A to B but about getting there with flair infused with advanced technology and classic hand craftsmanship at the pinnacle of British luxury motoring. Based around the concept of “Britishness” in image and design.
Bentley has succeeded in differentiating its position in the global luxury car market through a market-drive strategy based on responsive cross-market segmentation.
Cross-Market Segmentation
The traditional markets of Bentley Motors are the United States, the United Kingdom, and Europe, which were identified by the company using two of the traditional market segmentation variables: the level of a nation’s economic development and per capital gross domestic product (GDP). Bentley had enjoyed high sales in these economically developed markets, especially in the boom of the 1980s. In the 1990s, it struggled to reach similar level of sales, which led to a major investment in the facility, new-product development, and brand re-positioning in 1999. The brand reached the height of its heyday in the 1920s and 1930s, and the Bentley Boys winning the 24-hour race in Le Mans in 2003