Brand Associations

Also known as: Brand Attributes, Brand Perceptions, Brand Image Attributes

The set of ideas, images, emotions, and attributes that consumers mentally connect with a brand.

Brand Associations are all the information nodes connected to a brand name in the consumer's memory: product attributes, functional and emotional benefits, brand personality, values, usage occasions, typical users, and evoked feelings.

Strong, favorable, and unique associations are the basis of brand equity according to Kevin Lane Keller's model. They are measured in market research through: word association networks, attribute scales, brand-personality correspondence, or projective techniques.

Understanding what associations a brand has—and which it would like to have—is the basis for defining communication strategy and positioning.