Time to wrap up Brandcurve’s 2nd brand free association post. This month, readers were asked to leave a comment on the Brand Free Association 2 post with the first descriptive word that popped into their minds for five brands: Disney, American Express, Levi’s, Harley Davidson and Godiva.
Here are the results with my analysis of what the results from our small sample mean:
Disney
- Family
- Fake
- Mouse
- Money
I think these responses are perhaps the most interesting found in Brand Free Association 2. I think if Walt Disney saw these responses, he would not be pleased. However, I think the executives running the Disney company these days are well aware of their brand reputation as money-hungry and no longer representing the values Walt Disney originally wanted for the company (or perhaps they’re completely blind to their glaringly obvious loss of focus on families and children). Just look at some of their recent new product launches to see how their focus is 100% on money, and they’ll do whatever it takes to make more of it (read Disney Extends Its Brand Presence Everywhere and Disney Says 4-Year Olds Should Wear Perfume). The question remains: will Disney realize they’re heading down a dangerous path in the long term and refocus on what made Disney such a strong brand to begin with?
American Express
- Modern
- Reliable
- Rich
- Upper-class
I think American Express has made a strong effort to build a brand image as an upscale financial company. Based on these results, it looks like their message is being heard loud and clear.
Levi’s
- Durable
- Old-school
- Jeans
- Comfort
The Levi’s brand has been around for a long time, which can both help and hurt a brand. These results show that Levi’s is still associated with comfort and durability, but future advertising campaigns may want to focus on Levi’s as trendy in an attempt to reduce their image as “old-school” in some consumers’ minds (particularly among the younger demographic).
Harley Davidson
- Tough
- Butch
- Bike
- Freedom
I think these results are interesting because they show Harley Davidson as a brand with two distinct images, which can be promoted separately or together. First, the brand is seen as tough and masculine. Second, it’s seen as a brand that inspires feelings of freedom. Recently, Harley Davidson announced that it will begin a push to promote their products within the female demographic. Focusing on the Harley Davidson’s image as a provider of freedom could be an effective strategy for this market.
Godiva
- Decadent
- Luxurious
- Chocolatey
- Expensive
No surprises here. With a higher price point, Godiva automatically creates a brand image of upscale and expensive. Opinions on the Godiva brand clearly mirror the image the company hopes to portray.
Thank you to everyone who participated in Brand Free Association 2. I hope this small-scale branding exercise was fun and thought provoking. Tune in next month for Brand Free Association 3!
Really fun! I’m loving the game and your analysis is very interesting to read. I wonder if brand people from companies send out spies to see what branding and marketing bloggers are saying about them.
Maybe I’m a branding spy?
Oh, I kind of like the whole “old school” deal with Levi. Sometimes “old school” means hip and I think that part of Levi is mostly alive and strong. Makes you think of James Dean old school.
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James Dean and Levi’s – I like that combination.
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This was really interesting. Thanks alot.
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You’re welcome, Carol, and thanks for reading!
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It’s probably better to run a survey – people will be influenced by the other posts they see. For instance, I would not have thought of “money” first for Disney, but if I saw it in posts I would go, “Oh yeah! That fits”. Keeping answers hidden from other users is key to good research.
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Using randomly selected panel from a region will also guarantee better results. Asking just customers or people on a website is not going to give you representative sample of how a company is perceived in large. Not trying to criticize your results, though, as it’s a good first step.
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Thank you, Erik. This is just meant to be a fun game, not a real research effort at all. If this were a real research project it would certainly be handled very differently. I’ve run enough of those throughout my career! :) Brand Free Association is strictly for fun.
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“people will be influenced by the other posts they see”
That’s true, but personally I don’t look at other’s posts until after I play! I bet other people don’t look as well; that would take all the fun out of a great blog game. Although, as far as blog games go I think that this one has produced some very interesting result.
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Thanks, Jennifer. I’m glad you’re enjoying playing this game!
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