What pops into your head when you think of Nike? Maybe it‘s their iconic "swoosh" logo, star athlete endorsers, or motivational "Just Do It" slogan. Or perhaps it evokes feelings of athleticism, performance, and cool confidence.
These automatic mental connections are called brand associations – and they can make or break your business. In a world of endless consumer choice, how your brand is perceived becomes your most powerful competitive advantage.
Consider these eye-opening statistics:
- 95% of purchasing decisions are subconscious, based on associations and emotions (source: Harvard Business School)
- 89% of consumers stay loyal to brands that share their values (source: Corporate Social Mind)
- 75% of a company‘s value is intangible, residing in brand perceptions and reputation (source: Ocean Tomo)
In other words, your brand associations are directly tied to your bottom line. They influence everything from the price customers are willing to pay to their loyalty over time.
So what shapes these all-important brand associations, and how can you proactively cultivate positive ones? Let‘s explore the psychology behind brand associations and the top strategies to build them.
The Psychology of Brand Associations
At its core, branding is applied psychology. It‘s about understanding and influencing how consumers think and feel.
Brand associations are essentially mental shortcuts that consumers‘ brains use to organize and retrieve information about brands. Rather than methodically processing every detail, our minds rely on a network of associations to quickly categorize and evaluate brands.
These associations form through two main psychological pathways:
-
Automatic, subconscious processing (often called System 1 thinking)
This is the fast, intuitive, emotional part of our brains. It‘s where "gut feelings" about brands arise, often without us realizing it. Repeated exposures to a brand, especially when tied to strong emotions, build associations in this system over time. -
Controlled, conscious processing (known as System 2 thinking)
This is the rational, deliberate part of our brains that we use to weigh pros and cons. It‘s activated when we encounter new information about a brand that challenges our existing associations. With enough consistent input, this system can slowly reshape automatic associations.
To illustrate, imagine you have a positive association with the skincare brand Dove based on a "real beauty" ad campaign you loved. That‘s System 1.
Then you read an interview about Dove‘s parent company testing on animals. That‘s new information that your System 2 has to grapple with. If you keep coming across similar information, your positive association may start to erode.
The key takeaway is that brand associations are formed through both conscious and subconscious inputs over time. Managing them therefore requires understanding and leveraging both systems.
Real-World Examples of Brand Associations
To bring this psychology to life, let‘s look at some brands that have built noteworthy positive and negative associations:
Brands with Positive Associations
- Tesla: innovation, sustainability, luxury, cutting-edge technology
- Patagonia: environmental activism, durability, integrity, quality
- Zappos: best-in-class customer service, easy returns, positive work culture
- Mayo Clinic: expertise, authority, trust, cutting-edge medicine
- Disney: magical experiences, nostalgia, family-friendly entertainment
What do these brands have in common? They have made concerted efforts over many years to imbue every aspect of their businesses with specific values and attributes.
Tesla, for instance, has reinforced its innovative identity through constant new product releases, bold sustainability goals, and Elon Musk‘s future-focused public persona.
Patagonia‘s strong environmental stances infuse everything from their product designs to their political activism to their in-store repair services. They quite literally put their money where their mouth is.
Brands with Negative Associations
Of course, not all brand associations are good. Some brands become associated with traits that damage their reputations and drive customers away. A few infamous examples:
- United Airlines: poor customer service, mishandled crises (e.g. dragging incident)
- BP: environmental destruction, negligence, greed (e.g. Gulf oil spill)
- Wells Fargo: deception, fraud, putting profits over ethics (e.g. fake accounts scandal)
- Monsanto: ominous secrecy, damage to environment and public health
In United‘s case, its existing associations of lackluster service were cemented by its tone-deaf response to a video of a passenger being violently dragged off an overbooked flight. The incident quickly went viral, sparking boycotts and memes mocking the brand.
Two years later, when United‘s CEO was asked what the company learned, he said "We need to de-escalate situations before they become an incident." The focus on PR damage control over real change to policies and culture has left many with a sour taste.
The lesson here is that actions speak louder than words in shaping brand associations. What you do matters far more than what you say.
5 Proven Strategies to Build Positive Brand Associations
With the underlying psychology and real-world impacts of brand associations in mind, here are five research-backed strategies to proactively cultivate the associations you want.
1. Craft a strong, differentiated brand identity
Every interaction a consumer has with your brand either builds or detracts from their associations. The first step is therefore to get crystal clear on what you want those associations to be, and relentlessly reinforce them.
That means articulating your:
- Purpose: Why do you exist? What impact do you want to have?
- Values: What principles guide your decisions and actions?
- Personality: If your brand was a person, how would you describe them?
- Unique value proposition: What sets you apart from competitors?
The most effective brand identities are both aspirational (who you want to be) and authentic (true to who you are). They give customers and employees something meaningful to connect with.
Once defined, every single touchpoint should become an opportunity to express your brand identity, from your website copy to your customer service scripts to your office decor.
A powerful example is Life is Good, the apparel brand known for its optimistic slogans and smiling stick figure icon. Founders Bert and John Jacobs have baked optimism into every fiber of the company. It‘s reflected in their "positive purpose" of spreading the power of optimism, their nonprofit fundraising, and even their "Chief Executive Optimist" job title.
By leading with their values in everything they do, Life is Good has built unshakeable positive associations that have fueled their growth for over 25 years.
2. Deliver memorable, on-brand customer experiences
In today‘s Experience Economy, a staggering 86% of buyers are willing to pay more for a great customer experience (CX). Even more striking, PwC found that customers would pay up to 16% more for better CX.
Why? Because experiences create lasting emotional connections and memories that shape how a brand is perceived.
Trader Joe‘s is a master of using experience to reinforce their quirky, cheerful brand identity. From the moment you enter, you‘re transported to a tropical oasis with hand-painted murals, cedar plank walls, and employees in Hawaiian shirts. Friendly staff are eager to help you find your favorite products and share recipes. Playful signs and product names ("Roasted Garlicky Slabs," anyone?) make you smile.
By carefully designing every detail to express their brand, Trader Joe‘s turns an errand into an experience that customers look forward to.
To create your own memorable on-brand experiences:
- Map out your customer journey from awareness to purchase to loyalty. Identify key moments that make or break the experience.
- Gather feedback from customers on what they love and what could be improved at each touchpoint. Use surveys, interviews, and user testing.
- Look for opportunities to pleasantly surprise customers in on-brand ways. A handwritten thank-you note, free gift, or VIP event can go a long way.
3. Partner with aligned influencers & causes
In the age of social media and conscious consumerism, what your brand associates itself with matters more than ever. Customers see your partnerships and social stances as a reflection of your values.
Thoughtfully collaborating with influencers and nonprofits that share your values is a powerful way to build positive brand associations.
TOMS shoes is known for championing social causes, thanks to their "One for One" program of donating a pair of shoes for every pair purchased. By partnering with over 100 nonprofits and enlisting social media stars to promote their Give Back efforts, TOMS has become synonymous with conscious fashion.
When vetting potential partners, ask:
- Do they authentically embody our brand values and personality?
- Do they have a track record of making a positive impact?
- Will associating with them enhance trust and respect for our brand?
Influencer marketing platform Traackr found that influencer content is 22% more "memorable" than traditional digital ads. But the influencers have to be a natural fit. Forced partnerships can come across as inauthentic and damage brand associations.
Gone are the days of brands playing it safe and staying silent on social and political issues. Consumers now expect brands to be vocal champions of the causes they care about.
- 70% of consumers say it‘s important for brands to take a stand on social and political issues (Sprout Social)
- 76% say they would boycott a brand that supports an issue contrary to their beliefs (Edelman)
Of course, taking a stand is not without risk. Brands can face backlash from those who disagree with their position. But when done authentically and consistently, it can be a powerful differentiator.
Patagonia is a prime example. The outdoor apparel brand has long been an outspoken advocate for environmental conservation, from donating 1% of sales to eco-causes to famously running a "Don‘t Buy This Jacket" ad to protest Black Friday consumption.
In 2017, Patagonia made headlines again for suing the Trump administration over its decision to reduce the size of two national monuments. CEO Rose Marcario said, "We have to fight like hell to keep every inch of public land."
While the move outraged some conservatives, it cemented Patagonia‘s reputation as a brand that puts its money where its mouth is. The lawsuit page drew record traffic to Patagonia‘s website and the brand saw sales jump 7% that year.
The key is to focus on issues that genuinely align with your values and where you can make a meaningful impact. Do your research, partner with knowledgeable nonprofits, and most importantly, follow through with action.
5. Be ready for the worst with crisis plans
No matter how well you proactively manage your brand associations, crises happen. How you handle them can make the difference between a blip and a permanent black mark on your brand.
In 2009, Domino‘s faced a nightmare scenario: Two employees posted a viral video of themselves contaminating food with nose mucus. Within days, Domino‘s sales dropped 30% as disgusted customers vowed never to eat there again.
But Domino‘s response is now a case study in crisis management done right. Within hours, they fired the employees, closed and sanitized the store, and cooperated with police. CEO Patrick Doyle posted his own video apologizing and outlining the steps Domino‘s was taking. He gave dozens of interviews reiterating the company‘s commitment to food safety.
In the following months, Domino‘s launched a massive "Pizza Turnaround" campaign, reinventing its pizza recipe based on customer feedback. By confronting the issue head-on with humility and transparency, Domino‘s was able to regain trust. The revamped pizza propelled the company to a 90% surge in profits.
To prepare for the inevitable crisis, every brand should have a plan that covers:
- Crisis team: Who is in charge of the response across departments?
- Monitoring protocol: How will you catch wind of crises early? Consider media monitoring services.
- Holding statements: Pre-approved messaging to post immediately to buy time.
- Response decision tree: If-then scenarios mapping out response for different crises.
- Notification systems: How will you alert employees, stakeholders, and customers?
- Recovery roadmap: How will you rebuild trust and positive associations post-crisis?
Shaping Your Brand Legacy
Building positive brand associations is a never-ending job. Reputations can be made or broken overnight, so proactive, consistent effort is key.
But for brands willing to put in the work, the payoff is immense. You no longer have to compete on price or features alone. You own an enduring, emotional space in consumers‘ hearts and minds.
So think hard about the associations you want to be remembered by. Focus on living those associations every day, through every touchpoint.
Then even in an uncertain future, your brand equity will sustain you. Because what you stand for is what stands the test of time.
