Multi-Method Research on Consumer-Brand Associations: Comparing free associations, storytelling and collages.
Koll, Oliver; von Wallpach, Sylvia; Kreuzer, Maria (2010). Multi-Method Research on Consumer-Brand Associations: Comparing Free Associations, Storytelling, and Collages. Psychology and Marketing, 27 (6): 584-602.
Abstract
What consumers know and think consciously and unconsciously about a brand influences their attitudes and behaviors towards the brand and ultimately brand success. Therefore, keeping track of what consumers know is advisable. This article considers the value of using three approaches to assess brand knowledge: free association technique, storytelling, and collage-creation. Each method is suitable to tap and reproduce different aspects of brand knowledge. The empirical study combines the three methods in an explorative setting to retrieve consumer brand knowledge regarding a major sports brand. The study compares knowledge that each method elicits and provides brand management with recommendations how to decide when to use each method and whether to employ one or more of these methods.