brand association
March 24th, 2011 • Uncategorized
Today, I read the article, “‘Skins’ Ends Season on a Higher Ratings Note” from the Media & Advertising category of the Business section in the New York Times, and a number of thoughts have come to my mind. The article provides a clear example of how important brand association and brand image is for marketers. Large firms spend millions of dollars positioning their brands in the competitive marketplace to increase its perceived value from the eyes of consumers. Brand association is a big part of how consumers describe and think about brands; thus, negative brand associations can adversely affect a brand’s acceptance and image.
The TV drama series, “Skins”, launched by MTV has generated a controversial debate due to its sensitive content which many find to be inappropriate for young viewers. However, MTV’s ratings show a 59 percent increase in viewership among people of the age 12 to 34 from that of a year ago. I believe that this segment group is an important target market for many companies, because Gen Y individuals represent a massive number of potential consumers and have the purchasing power to spend on consumer goods. I was surprised to learn, however, that the sensitive content of “Skins” has resulted in current marketers removing their advertisements and potential sponsors avoiding purchasing commercial time during the show. The reason is evident: marketers are concerned about their brands’ images. For a number of companies, the show’s image is not a good fit with their brand. Their actions indicate that they want to prevent consumers from associating their brands with the provocative ideas and messages of the show.
This article brings to light the important role that brand association plays in developing brand equity. Brand association is so important that marketers can even give up targeting an attractive segment to protect their brand images. Thus, I realize how challenging it is for marketers to choose the right channels in which to launch advertisements for their products. If they are not careful, they may end up creating a negative image for their brand.