Brand associations

Think about a brand you know well. What comes to mind? This could be an experience, colours, a character or even a jingle. Our numerous touchpoints with a brand will help us build an opinion of it.

Positive Associations

A positive brand association can increase trust, bring higher sales and result in better retention. Additionally, it can aid brand recall. Consider a brand which provided you with a great service. When someone talks about them, you recall this positive experience and act as a promotor.

Negative Associations

A negative association can have the opposite effect. An association can be based on remembering a character, visuals or audio and also how they feel about you. This is built up over time. A brand’s values should drive positive associations with your target customer group. For example, if you have a brand value of being rugged and customers repeat this to you, it demonstrates you are being effective.

With negative associations, you should work out the root causes and take action. You can take steps to improve:

• More consistent brand messaging.

• Increased authenticity.

• An improved customer experience.

Collecting information

There are several ways to collect information.

Market Research Surveys:

• Open-ended questions: Ask consumers what words, images, feelings, or experiences they associate with your brand.

• Association tasks: Provide a list of words or images and ask respondents to indicate which ones they associate with your brand.

• Rating scales: Ask consumers to rate the extent to which certain attributes or characteristics are associated with your brand.

• Comparative questions: Ask consumers to compare your brand with competitors in terms of specific associations.