Imagem e percepção de valor em esquadrias de alumínio e PVC

Abstract

The Brazilian civil construction market lives nowadays its best moment, influenced by the program of accelerated growth represented by investments in infrastructure and mainly the easy access to credit for home ownership. In the city of Caxias do Sul, the civil construction, which uses frames, presented a growth of 40% in the period from 2009 to 2011. Despite the growing expansion of civil construction, the segment of aluminum frames and PVC still needs the attention of researchers as regards its image and perception of value. In this sense, this study sought to identify the attributes forming the images of aluminum frames and PVC, the way they are configured in size and levels of the image, and how these dimensions impact the perception of value from the perspective of consumers in the city of Caxias do Sul - RS. The research methodology used is characterized as exploratory research, with qualitative and quantitative approaches, based on the adaptation of the Image Configuration Method (ICM), research instrument tested and validated to identify the images of organizations and products. The results demonstrated a solid image of the aluminum frames, being composed by functional, emotional, cognitive and symbolic dimensions, with predominance of the functional dimension. Moreover, it is observed that the cognitive and functional dimensions have a more significant impact on the perceived value of the aluminum frames. For the frames of PVC was observed that this is a new product on the market and particularly applicable to high standards in real estate. Its image is composed of functional, emotional, cognitive and symbolic dimensions, with predominance of the functional dimension. However there was the presence of the ‘bad finishing ‘negative attribute in the central image. In this sense, the study of the image of frames helps communication and marketing professionals in the direction of actions aimed at strengthening the image of the products, as well as the direction to reverse the negative attributes that may impact the perception of value or purchase intention toward these products.