Key takeaways:
1. What Are Secondary Brand Associations?: These are perceptions consumers form about a brand based on its associations with other entities, such as a country of origin or celebrity endorsements.
2. Leveraging Secondary Brand Associations: Align your brand with entities that reflect your desired image. Thorough research is essential to ensure these associations convey the right message to your audience.
3. Case Study - Witchery: Witchery’s campaign with Edwina Bartholomew, a relatable and inspiring figure, linked their brand to inspiration, self-confidence, and style, resonating with their target market.
4. Key Attributes for Association: Select entities that embody qualities like inspiration, relatability, confidence, and style to enhance your brand image.
5. Final Takeaway: Carefully chosen secondary associations can significantly enhance your brand's perception, aligning it with the values and qualities appreciated by your target audience.
If you’ve got a bit of knowledge about marketing strategies, you’ve probably heard of Secondary Brand Associations. But, what are they, and how can you leverage them effectively within your brand’s marketing strategy?
What Are Secondary Brand Associations?
When marketing experts refer to secondary brand associations, they are talking about the way in which consumers form thoughts and feelings about brands through their existing knowledge about the entities these brands are associated with.
For example, a ‘Country of Origin’ secondary brand association refers to a brand being associated with the understanding people have about the country in which the brand originated.
You will often see skincare brands trying to establish associations with France due to the perception of the country and it’s products being luxurious and high quality. Take skincare brand Leneige for example. Their brand name is French and translates to “the snow”, though the brand is actually made in South Korea.
Seems simple, right? You want people to form certain perceptions about your brand, so you slap an exotic name on the label and away you go? Not quite.
To ensure your target consumers develop the intended perceptions about your brand, you must be very careful about choosing the second entity you link your brand to. Without careful research, your strategy could be flipped upside down.
How To Leverage Secondary Brand Associations For Your Brand?
To illustrate the elements you need to consider when choosing what to link to your brand to achieve your desired outcome, we’ve put together a case study from some recent work we did with Australian fashion giant, Witchery.
Case Study
Client: Witchery
Born Social’s Role: Photography
To promote their ongoing Style Collective Series, focusing on the concept ‘Inspiring Women. Inspiring Fashion.’, Witchery teamed up with the all-inspiring Edwina Bartholemew.
A mother of two, journalist, TV presenter and ambassador for UNICEF, Edwina Bartholemew has a significant following of women across Australia. Relatable and inspiring, Edwina is open about the struggles of balancing work, life and parenting. No matter her struggles, Edwina always manages to look confident and stylish.
By choosing to team up with an inspiring woman who Australian women both relate to and look up to, Witchery has been able to form associations between their fashion lines for Australian women and elements of inspiration, self-confidence and feeling good.
The Take-Away?
Witchery took careful consideration to select a celebrity to link with their brand. Not just any celeb was fit for the job, but they had to be associated with the following characteristics:
- Inspirational
- Likeable
- Well-known
- Relatable
- Confident
- Stylish
Born Social were honoured to be a part of this shoot and bringing these associations to life. Keen to see more? Visit our Portfolio to see more wonderful brands we have worked with.
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