Correspondence: Gillian K. Oakenfull, Richard T Farmer School of Business, Miami University

¹is an associate professor of Marketing at the Farmer School of Business Administration at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Her research interests include branding and brand management, specialising in the measurement of brand meaning and examining the nuances of the gay and lesbian market. She teaches the Highwire Brand Studio and Strategy Works courses at Miami University and is the co-founder of Equicentric Brand Research, a branding consultancy that provides research methodologies for determining brand meaning and brand extension opportunities for client companies.

²is an associate professor of Marketing at the Farmer School of Business Administration at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. His teaching and research interests centre on branding and brand equity management. He teaches the Highwire Brand Studio and Strategy Works courses at Miami University and is the co-founder of Equicentric Brand Research, a branding consultancy that provides research methodologies for determining brand meaning and brand extension opportunities for client companies.

Received 16 October 2008; Revised 16 October 2008; Published online 30 October 2009.

Abstract

Although the notion that brand knowledge is organised into networks of brand associations is well accepted in the branding literature, the question of how brand knowledge structures may differ based on brand usage has not been considered empirically. In this study, we examine how the usage rates for a particular brand influence the structure and contents of consumer brand association networks and the strength of the various types of associations in those networks. Our findings indicate that as usage increases consumers tend to have more brand-specific associations, and that those associations are more multidimensional in nature. Conversely, as brand usage decreases, consumer tend to have more product category associations that are more monolithic in nature. In addition, increased usage is related to a greater proportion of brand-specific associations and stronger brand-specific associations, whereas decreased usage is tied to a similar pattern for product category associations. Some implications of these findings for both practitioners and academics are discussed.