DecisionPro, Inc - Marketing Engineering & Analytics

Using ME>XL’s Positioning Market Share tool with Excel 2007

Behavior:
After producing an ME>XL positioning map, the user SHIFT+left clicks a “brand” to display the estimated market share.  The user then SHIFT+left clicks another area on the map to see the market share predicted if the brand were repositioned to that spot, but ME>XL draws the line to a point not near where the user clicked. The resulting predicted market share is also inaccurate.

Explanation:
With Excel 2007, Microsoft changed how Excel communicates with ME>XL where the user has clicked, producing somewhat random positioning of the desired market share.  To more accurately calculate market share, the Excel window and the Chart window must be sized the same. Please follow the steps below to size the Excel window and chart window the same.

Circumvention:
1. With a positioning map drawn, use the “Restore Down” button to resize the Excel window so that it is NOT maximized.

2. Maximize the chart window within the resized Excel window using the “Maximize button”.

With steps 1 and 2 completed, your screen should resemble the display below:

Step 3: Use the right margin of the Excel window, and left click, hold and drag the edge of the Excel window so it matches the Chart window.   Tip: when your mouse is positioned correctly, a double arrow will appear allowing you to click and drag the margin (see below).

Step 4: Use the bottom margin to do the same resizing for the vertical size.

Step 5: The goal of the above 4 steps is to resize the Excel window so the Chart windows fits perfectly within the Excel  window.  Once you get the Excel windowsized correctly,  you may need to use the left/right and top/bottom scroll bars so the Chart window is perfectly surrounded by the Excel window.  The diagram below shows a properly sized Chart window within an Excel window.

With the Excel window sized correctly and the Chart window positioned correctly within the Excel window, you may proceed to determine market share by following these steps.

1. Hold the SHIFT key and click the red icon next to the Brand you want to study. The starting market share will appear.
2. Continue to hold the SHIFT key and click somewhere on the map.  A dotted line will be displayed between the Brand icon and the selected target location and the estimated market share will be display.

Note: While the above procedure may not allow ME>XL to place the market share exactly where you click, it will be very close.  Further, where ME>XL places the “+”, the market share is correctly calculated to that mark.