Free Association is something I find useful in terms of brand strategy, and can at times also be wildly entertaining. Mere words can quickly trigger a person into thinking of the associations that immediately come to mind. As humans, we assign meaning to words and then use these words to both represent and describe. For brand marketers, free association is a Taboo-like game that can be very telling of how the identity is perceived.
For many brands, if we were to conduct free association experiments with the target audience, the main brand indicators would be a universal response. Chanel, for example, would be the epitome of classic French sophistication. Dolce and Gabbana may be sexy, sleek and risqué. Opening Ceremony fresh, creative, international. Tom Ford innovative, genius, perfection (ok, maybe this last one is a bit of personal opinion).
On the business side of things, brands need to take these descriptors and compare how their communications measure up across channels. The trick now though, is to balance the utility and global reach of the internet, with the more esoteric brand messages, and a bit of translation is needed. In other words, translate your brand’s indicators through the potential of technology.
If your brand has already decided to participate online, even through something as basic as a website, embrace that choice and be open to thinking of how technology can work for your brand. Doing so will allow brands to leverage and capitalize on the potential digital offers in a way that’s a perfect fit for the brand itself. Chanel can use technology to be sophisticated, Tom Ford to be innovative….
Take the Tom Ford site, for instance, a site that does not allow a user to see the collection pieces individually or closer up. There’s no additional product information presented, and no e-commerce offered. Further, the only sharing capability is to email a look, a seemingly outdated function for such a forward thinking brand. Add to that the fact that the Flash-based website took several minutes to load, and, instead of inspiring a sale, the website became an obstacle in attaining one.
While I fully understand that many luxury houses feel that their expertise is in the products themselves, it’s critical to recognize the importance of the web as a new part of the overall brand experience. Free association applies to digital, too.
Photo Credits: Tara Moore
All articles are reviewed and copy edited by Gina Conforti
