Brand Image

What is Brand Image?

Brand image refers to how a brand is perceived by its audiences, based on the sum of experiences, associations, messages, and symbols connected with that brand. It is what people think and feel when they encounter your brand.

Academic research emphasizes that brand image is a multidimensional construct. It is influenced by cognitions (what consumers think), emotions (how they feel), messages/symbols (what the brand communicates), and values/attitudes (what the brand stands for). In other words, brand image isn’t simply what you say about your brand (that’s more brand identity), it’s what your audiences believe and feel about your brand.

Brand Image vs. Brand Identity

It’s important to distinguish between brand identity (the intention: how you want to be seen) and brand image (the reality: how you are seen). According to The Branding Journal:

• Brand image = the perceptions held in the minds of consumers, shaped by experience and external signals. Brand image is how an audience perceives and interprets signals coming from a brand through different touch points. In other words, brand image comes from the audience.
• Brand identity = the company’s self‑portrait (logo, colours, messaging, mission). Brand identity makes a brand unique. It’s determined by how the people behind a brand want the public to perceive it. Brand identity comes from the brand itself.

In practical terms, you can control identity; you can influence image—but you cannot fully control the brand image, because it is co‑created by consumers, markets, and context.

Why Brand Image Matters

For professional marketers, brand image is more than a “nice to have.” It is fundamental to how the brand performs in the market.

Trust and Loyalty

A strong, favourable brand image creates emotional resonance, builds trust, and drives brand loyalty, leading to repeat purchases, advocacy, and resilience during market shifts. One study found that brand image has a significant positive impact on customer satisfaction and brand loyalty.

Strategic Differentiation & Brand Equity

Brand image is also a key lever for brand value. The greater the positive associations, the stronger the equity, which gives you more strategic flexibility (e.g., extensions, better margins, defensibility). Research shows that many brand image definitions link back to brand equity. Moreover, brand image acts as a facilitator in brand marketing strategy, with one study demonstrating that it mediates the relationship between storytelling marketing and purchase intention.

A Pulse‑Check on Market Reputation

Because brand image is shaped by all brand touch‑points (advertising, product experience, service, culture, PR, social behaviour), it serves as a litmus test for how well your brand strategy is working. If your identity and your image are misaligned, you may have brand confusion, trust erosion or weak differentiation. The American Marketing Association notes that inconsistent or misaligned branding is a common mistake.

What Shapes Brand Image

Understanding the building blocks of brand image helps marketers diagnose and strengthen their brand. Here are the key elements:

Brand Identity (you control)

What you intend your brand to be: logo, visual style, tone of voice, values, messaging. While identity is on your side, image is how others interpret identity.

Customer Experience & Interactions

Every encounter a customer has — product, service, marketing, support, digital assets — contributes to brand image. If the lived experience aligns with the intended identity, you build positive associations.

External Perceptions & Associations

Word of mouth, media coverage, social proof, and cultural trends affect how your brand is viewed and are sometimes beyond your direct control.

Visual & Verbal Consistency

How you look and how you speak matters. Consistent imagery, messaging and behaviour reinforce a stable brand image. Conversely, inconsistency can erode trust.

How to Build & Maintain a Strong Brand Image

Here are high‑level strategic steps that a professional marketer should apply. These align with downstream operational tactics.

1. Define your desired brand image: What do you want people to think and feel when they encounter your brand?
2. Audit your current brand image: Use surveys, social listening, customer feedback, and analytics to see how your brand is currently perceived.
3. Align brand identity and touchpoints: Ensure your visual identity, messaging, and customer experience all support the image you aim for.
4. Deliver consistently on promises: Brand image is built through repeatable, reliable experience, not just marketing hype.
5. Monitor and adjust: Brand image is dynamic. Market changes, competitor activity, and customer expectations evolve, so your brand image can shift if you don’t actively manage it.
6. Leverage digital and SEO: Since brand image impacts search engine trust and organic visibility, ensure your online presence reinforces the right associations and authority.
7. Ensure consistent digital asset management (logos, imagery, messaging) to maintain uniform brand identity across channels.

Measuring Brand Image

For dashboard‑driven marketing professionals, here are the core metrics to measure brand image:

• Brand association awareness (which attributes do target customers link to your brand?)
• Sentiment analysis across social channels (positive/negative mentions, share of voice)
• Brand perception surveys (Net Promoter Score, brand trust, brand favourability)
• Share of mind or brand recall and top‑of‑mind associations
• External reputation metrics (reviews, ratings, media sentiment)

Also, tracking alignment between intended identity and perceived image helps identify gaps and brand performance risks.

Interested in learning more about branding? Check out these posts on brand guidelines, brand management, brand value, and brand strategy here!