Brand association refers to the connections consumers make between a brand and certain qualities, feelings, or characteristics. It’s like the mental image people have when they think about a particular brand. When you hear the name of a brand, your mind links it to specific things—maybe quality, trust, or a certain lifestyle. These connections can be intentional, like when a brand shows itself as innovative or reliable, or they can develop naturally through customer experiences. Brand association is crucial because it shapes how we see and feel about a brand, influencing our choices when we buy things.
Importance of brand association
Brand association is incredibly important for businesses, influencing how consumers perceive and choose one brand over another. Here are some key reasons why brand association matters:
1. Getting noticed and standing out: Brand association helps your brand get noticed. When people can link specific qualities or characteristics with your brand, it becomes easy to recognise. This is especially important in a market where there are many options. Having unique associations makes your brand stand out from the competition.
2. Building trust and keeping customers: Positive brand associations build trust. When people consistently connect your brand with good experiences, reliability or quality, they are more likely to trust your products or services. Trust is the key to keeping customers.
3. Shaping how people see your brand: Brand association influences how people see your brand. If your brand is linked with innovation, caring for people and the environment or affordability, it affects what people think.
4. Being ahead of competition: Strong brand associations give you an advantage. In a market where products or services seem similar, a brand with clear and good associations is more likely to be chosen. People prefer a brand that they link with positive things, even if there are similar options.
5. Creating emotional bonds: Brand association is not just about features; it’s about emotions. When people emotionally connect with a brand, it becomes more than just a product—it becomes a part of their lifestyle. Emotional connections make people stick with a brand for a long time because they feel a deeper attachment.
Types of brand association
1. Product attributes: This is all about what makes the product unique. If you think of a phone brand, for example, it could be about how long the battery lasts or how cool the new features are. Basically, it’s linking the brand to the special stuff the product can do or has.
2. Emotional associations: Brands want you to feel something when you think about them. Like, when you think of a certain fast-food brand, they might want you to feel happy or excited. So, connecting a brand with certain emotions is a way to make you feel a certain way when you use or talk about that brand.
3. Cultural symbols: This is like connecting a brand to things that are important in a particular culture. Let’s say a brand uses a symbol that people of a certain culture really love. That connection helps the brand become part of the culture and feel familiar to people there. Life beer uses Igbo cultural symbols and practices to win a good share of the Southeastern Nigeria market.
4. User imagery: Imagine a brand showing pictures of people who use their products. It creates an image in your mind about who the typical user of that brand is. It’s like saying, “See, people like you use our stuff, so you should too.” This association is about the kind of people associated with a brand.
5. Brand personality: Brands want you to think of them almost like a person. If a brand is always friendly and helpful in their messages, they’re trying to have a personality of being a good friend. On the other hand, some brands want to be seen as sophisticated or stylish. Assigning human-like traits helps people connect with the brand on a personal level.
How are brand associations developed?
Building brand associations is like telling a story about a brand.
1. Getting the Message Out: Brands use ads, social media and other ways to talk about themselves. These messages focus on what makes the brand special – it could be how reliable a product is, how much fun it is to use, or how it improves your life. These messages lay the groundwork for brand associations.
2. Real experiences: Ever had a great time with a product or service? That adds to what you think about the brand. When a brand lives up to its promises, it creates good associations.
3. What people say: What others say about a brand matter. Positive reviews and recommendations from friends, family, or online influencers add to brand associations. When people hear good things about a brand, it builds a positive image.
4. Looks matter: Logos, colors, and other visual things are important as they get linked to the brand in your mind. Having a consistent and memorable look helps build strong brand associations. Take MTN for example. In spite of different tweaks and changes to its logo, it has retained, and remained synonymous with yellow as brand colour.
Last line
So, building brand associations happens through the messages a brand sends, the experiences it gives, what people say about it, how it looks, and how it fits into what’s happening in culture. It’s about telling a story about the brand that people can connect with and remember.
