What is brand association?

If you walk into a store and see a Red Bull can, you immediately associate it with adventure sports. This is called brand association.

Brand association can be defined as the mental connections that consumers make with a particular brand, including emotions, experiences, imagery, or specific product attributes. They shape how a brand is perceived and influence consumer behavior.

What are the types of brand association?

There are three ways in which you can associate your perceptions with a brand: positive, negative, and neutral.

Let’s dive into the details.

Positive brand association

Positive brand associations occur when consumers connect a brand with favorable attributes or experiences. For instance, when people think of Apple, they often associate it with innovation, sleek design, and high quality. The positive associations come with their benefits – greater customer loyalty, higher sales, and a stronger market position.

Another example is Nike's "Just Do It" slogan. Since it resonates with motivation, perseverance, and athleticism, it creates a powerful positive brand association.

Negative brand association

As the name states, negative brand association is a costly misstep for any brand. These occur when a brand is linked to unfavorable experiences or attributes. For example, if a food brand is frequently associated with adulterant concerns or recalls, it may struggle to regain consumers' trust, significantly affecting its reputation and sales.

Remember the backlash Pepsi faced with its controversial ad featuring Kendall Jenner? It sparked widespread criticism and associated the brand with insensitivity, a negative association they had to work hard to overcome.

Neutral brand association

Neutral brand associations occur when consumer perceptions are neither positive nor negative. They might include generic attributes or experiences that don't significantly sway a consumer's opinion.
For example, a brand of office supplies might be associated with functionality and reliability but not necessarily with high quality or poor quality.

Neutral brand associations aren’t bad; they can often be tuned to build a more distinct and positive brand image.

How Do You Build a Positive Brand Association?

Creating positive brand associations takes time, effort, and consistency. Here are a few ways you can solidify these associations with your consumers.

Make your branding consistent: Your brand message and tone, brand colors, logo, etc. Must be consistent across all the platforms you market your product. Brand consistency helps reinforce your brand within the consumer’s mind. Think of Coca-Cola's iconic red and white colors and the timeless script font.
Deliver a quality product: Sure, catchy slogans grab attention – but without a high-quality product to back them up, they become meaningless. A high quality product builds trust and a positive brand association. For instance, Toyota is often associated with reliability and longevity because of its consistent delivery of high-quality vehicles.
Engage with your audience: Interact with your customers through social media, email, or in-person events. Show them you care and value their opinions. Starbucks excels at this by engaging with customers on social media and even incorporating their feedback into new products.
Provide exceptional customer service: Great post-sales services are key to retaining customers, building trust, and spreading awareness of your brand by word of mouth. And if your brand has suffered from a negative opinion in the past, this is a great way to rectify it.

How do You measure brand association?

Understanding how consumers perceive your brand is crucial. Here are a few metrics to measure brand association:

Surveys and Questionnaires: Ask your customers directly about their perceptions and associations with your brand. This can provide valuable qualitative insights.
Net Promoter Score (NPS): This metric measures customer loyalty and satisfaction. A high NPS indicates strong positive associations.
Social Media Sentiment Analysis: Monitor social media mentions and analyze the sentiment. Are people talking about your brand positively, negatively, or neutrally?
Brand Tracking Studies: Conduct regular studies to track changes in brand perception over time. This can help identify trends and the impact of your branding efforts.
Customer Reviews and Feedback: Regularly review customer feedback on various platforms. Positive reviews can indicate strong brand associations, while negative ones highlight areas for improvement. Brand association is a powerful force in shaping consumer behavior and brand perception. By understanding and strategically managing these associations, you can build a stronger, more positive connection with your audience. So, next time you think of your favorite brand, consider the associations that come to mind—they're more influential than you might realize.