We’ve spoken about ways to build brand equity directly, but sometimes it doesn’t happen organically. You may need to think about building extensions to bring the attention you need to your brand.
Especially for newer brands that are having a hard time establishing themselves and truly creating a memorable presence, secondary brand associations can be a game-changer. There are several ways to create associations that will get your brand noticed.
Co-branding
Collaborating with established brands that have a devoted audience can associate that brand with yours, helping you to grow your audience. This is easily done if the brands have a similar aesthetic, product, or messaging. It is important to not deviate from your brand’s goals when establishing strategic partnerships.
Celebrities or Influencer Endorsements
This seems like an obvious way to garner interest in your brand, but the right celebrity can give your brand or product the boost it needs to catapult itself into the spotlight. Celebrities should represent the brand’s mission and image, not deter from it. Be wary of controversial figures that may bring bad PR to your brand. Microinfluencers also fall into this category, and are very likely to bring you sales and a devoted following since they are known for their fantastic audience engagement.
Events
Think of big name brands and who the events they associate with. Pepsi is a known sponsor of the Super Bowl halftime show and brands like Nike and Adidas are connected to the Olympics. Now, it may take a lot of brand equity to get to that level, but become the sponsor of an event can create positive brand associations, especially if you’re an official recurring sponsor.
It’s all about who you associate with.
Linking your brand to another entity can create new associations or affect your brand’s existing perceptions. While I only covered a few, there are many ways to boost your brand’s image using secondary brand association. Which ones are you going to try?