Now that we have defined brand positioning as a clear image of a brand (their values, characteristics, messaging, vision, cause and essence) differentiated from competitors in the mind of their potential customer, how do we find and reach a customer that will align with this brand’s cause?
Aggressive advertising techniques can drain budgets and, in the end, push people away rather than intriguing them. You may be missing a fundamental piece of the puzzle in your research of the target consumer or the building blocks of your brand. If your offering is something of value and you hold a distinct differentiation factor your customers should realize and appreciate this. Yes, you still need to advertise your business to reach your customers but paid influencers who don’t emulate your brand’s vision or repetitive email techniques may just reek of desperation.
Associated value is a powerful technique for building strong associations between your product or service and the image you are working to create. Cătălin and Andreea noted that “The most important step in creating and delivering a superior value to customers is by adding meaningful brand associations that create value beyond the intrinsic characteristics of a product”. This quote shows the significance of associated value.
Associated value is “the connections in our minds between a brand and people, places, things, and emotions”, as said by Colin Finkle who authors a Brand Marketing blog. So, if your brand is created to target Southern California surfers who value an unstructured, free, and outdoor lifestyle; you should be sure to be able to find a person who emulates this lifestyle. By aligning your brand with this individual, you will be able to create a strong image of your brand’s distinct personality through a person who mirrors that very essence. Not only will this image resonate strongly but it may even be able to evoke emotions related to this free lifestyle and when people are craving the essence of the free Southern California life, they will turn to your brand even though they live in the Midwest during the middle of Winter.
There is an art to practice here, somewhere between the line of utilizing social media, influencers, and digital marketing to showcase your brand and ultimately reach your customers but to not overdo it and remain soft-spoken with words that resonate.
Overall…
- Deliver superior value to your customers by utilizing associated value.
- Utilize associated value by identifying and aligning with people, places, things, or emotions that emulate your brand.
- People who identify with the image created will incorporate your brand into their everyday lifestyle.
To learn more visit, https://brandmarketingblog.com/articles/branding-definitions/brand-association/ or https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042813050593?ref=pdf_download&fr=RR-2&rr=7bb74a287a97271f.
