A brand is a product but one that adds other dimensions differentiating it in some way from other products designed to satisfy the same need. These differences may be rational and tangible-related to product performance of the brand-or more experiential, symbolic, or intangible-related to what the brand represents. Brands themselves are valuable intangible assets that need to be handled carefully. Brands offer a number of benefits to customers and the firms. The key to branding is that consumers perceive differences among brands in a product category.
One of the brand assets, brand association could be derived from the price of the product, the quality of the product, the design elements, the image of the maker, the image of the user, the distribution channels, the sales personnel, the celebrities, the events, the information and image in advertising, the web sites, the brand name. Even colors, sounds that are mentally linked to the brand in the consumer’s memory can create the brand associations.
A brand could provide consumers with values. The brand’s value proposition is a statement of the functional, experiential, and symbolic benefits delivered by the brand to the customer. An effective value proposition could differentiate the brand identity and develop the customer-brand relationship and drive purchase decisions. And it is important to understand that brand associations deliver the value proposition to the customer. Also, we should understand the elements of brand associations affect on the value proposition.
In this thesis, I attempted to which elements of brand associations affect which values. And according to the each brand, which elements of brand association and values drive the purchase. The result of this study will give the suggestion to the marketers. If they elaborate design of this study, it is helpful to apply to the marketing strategy.
