What is behind the success of the biggest brands? Is it a great product? Not only that. The biggest and best brands strengthen their connection with their audience through established marketing techniques. Today we’re going to look at marketing and purchasing decisions from a slightly different angle.
Brand connection and identity play a bigger role in purchasing decisions than you might think. Whether it’s through shared value, identification, an emotional experience, or a great advertising slogan . A strong connection will help you go beyond the ordinary decision-making process. This is where brand association can come in handy.
What is association in general?
Association in general is a psychological term that refers women database to the connection of two or more thoughts, images, signs, objects or perceptions in general. When one of these images appears, the thought of the other automatically follows. In other words, it is the process by which the brain connects different information, experiences or stimuli in such a way that one thing reminds one of another.
What is brand association?
Brand association is the mental connection, feelings and reactions that arise when you think of a particular company, its products, services and ethos. For example, Apple uses sleek, minimalist branding to support the simplicity of its products. Nike connects with athletes and messages that promote associations with energy, overcoming obstacles, emphasis on performance, vitality and sportsmanship. Simply “Just do it”.
Cultivating positive brand associations is key to a company’s success. It helps promote brand recall and equity. It also increases customer retention and loyalty.
Although brand associations don’t have to be all positive, they help your company stand out and remain memorable.
How do associations arise?
For such a connection to occur, there must be many links and connections between the brand and the given association.
The resulting associations are the result of extreme especially in subsequent years effort and activity. There can be millions of outputs forming an association in order for this connected information to get into the brain of a significant group. In the past, Alza tried extremely hard to associate and occupy the electronics category, which it succeeded in, but subsequently stopped supporting this association because this e-shop occupied almost the entire assortment. Nevertheless, if you say e-shop with electronics today, Alza will be the clear number one.
In addition to our brain, we can say that search engines and AI such as ChatGPT also form associations. Each with a slightly different method. But if you want to learn general associations to a brand or category, ChatGPT will probably give you much more objective information than you have stored in your brain.
Why are associations interesting for a brand?
Brand associations help build identity and brand positioning , which are essential to the marketing strategies of major brands. They also help a brand differentiate itself from its competitors and attract customers who are open to the connections you make. They reinforce your brand identity and connect personal feelings with your product or service. At their best, positive associations improve brand loyalty by making it more recognizable and memorable.
Positive brand associations offer:
Brand awareness – Associations make your brand more recognizable. When customers remember your brand identity, they can follow new products or spread positive information about you. When I have visitors at home, they often point out the Dyson vacuum cleaner with admiration. This further confirms to me that this is a quality product that is widely known and admired.
Customer loyalty – Positive brand associations strengthen customer bonds. If they identify with the brand, they are more likely to stay with it longer. For example, with Apple or Tesla, customers often do not think about what phone or car they will buy next, but just wait for a new model from their favorite brands.
Competitive advantage – Brand associations help you thailand data differentiate yourself from the competition. If buyers think of you first, that is one less customer for your competition. This is category stuffing.
Types of associations
Brands can create different associations based on their strengths or target market to reach wider customer groups. Some of the most popular types include: