The objective of this paper is to formulate consumer clusters on the basis of their brand association scores and use the same for consumer segmentation. Segmentation of consumers is a significant dimension of the strategic planning process for competitive brand positioning. Segmentation can be used to decide the right strategies and tactics to meet distinct consumer needs.

Strategic planning can be facili- tated by the use of tools to ex- tract meaning and patterns from available data. Given today's highly competitive scenario, it is useful to have a structured framework for increasing organizational competence. As the organization grows in size and complexity, decision making becomes more complex. In such a situation, having a well-defined planning framework would be a good source of competitive advantage.

It is important for organizations that their customers are able to relate their products or services to specific organizational brands. This can be achieved through appropriate brand management. As part of a previous research study, the authors had calculated Consumer Brand Association scores to study the variation in the ability of consumers to relate the product brands with the respective organizational brands.

This article attempts to provide directions for consumer segmentation by creating clusters of consumers on the basis of their brand association scores, and use the same as the basis for consumer segmentation. Different targeting strategies can be subsequently formulated for the respective consumer segments. This appears to be a useful approach, as in the previous study, the authors were able to establish a link between brand names and the ability of the consumers to link a particular product brand to the corresponding corporate brand.

Marketing Mastermind Magazine, Consumer Profiling, Strategic Planning Process, Decision Making Process, Consumer Brand Association, Brand Management, Consumer Segmentation, Corporate Brands, Data Segmentation, Promotional Strategies, Marketing Strategies.