Brand Association - Definition & Importance
What is Brand Association?
Brand association is a linkage which a buyer forms in one's mind with the brand. Brand association does not mean the benefits but these are more intangible in nature. The customers form association on the perception they have about the product/service.
Brand association can be positive or negative. Every brand wants to associate itself with something positive. E.g. A restaurant would like associations like good taste and superior quality. Whereas a airlines brand would want punctuality and comfort.
The degree of association is also important here. Competitors might have similar brand associations but the degree or extent of one might be less or more than the other.
Negative brand associations are something every company would avoid.
Importance of Brand Association
Every company wants its products to be associated with something good and related to their line of business. If a customer sees the brand as positive, this would directly lead to improved sales. If the association is negative, the business would not rise or rather fall.
Brand Association Formation
It can be formed in various ways like:
1. Logo
A half-bitten apple for Apple
2. Colour scheme
Yellow and Red for McDonalds
3.Jingles
Symphony for Titan
4.Tagline
‘Just Do It’ for Nike
5.Mascot / Celebrity Sponsor
The Amul girl for Amul
6.Features of the product
The “Thanda matlab Coca-cola” tried to associate the feature of the product (cold) with the brand (Coca-cola) and to a large extent succeeded.
7. Price of the product
Cheap or costly
8. Customer Experience
Great or not good
In extreme cases, the entire product category is associated with a brand. When a consumer asks for a product by the specific brand name rather than the general name, the consumer is making a brand association.
For example, some brand associations to their products are as follows:
|
Brand |
Product |
|
Bisleri |
Mineral Water |
|
Dettol |
Antiseptic Liquid |
|
Band-aid |
Adhesive bandages |
|
Xerox |
Photocopier |
|
Photoshop |
Image editing |
|
|
Online search |
|
JCB |
Excavators and diggers |
|
Post-Its |
Sticky notes |
Hence, this concludes the definition of Brand Association along with its overview.
This article has been researched & authored by the Business Concepts Team. It has been reviewed & published by the MBA Skool Team. The content on MBA Skool has been created for educational & academic purpose only.
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