Perceived Quality as a Brand Association

PERCEIVED QUALITY

Perceived quality is a brand association that is elevated to the status of a brand asset for several reasons:

Among all brand associations only perceived quality is known to drive financial performances.

Perceived quality is often a major (if not the principal) strategic thrust of business.

Perceived quality is linked to and often drives other aspects of a brand is perceived.

Achieving perceptions of quality is usually impossible unless the quality claim has substance. Perceived quality may differ from actual quality for a variety of reasons.

☛  Customers may be overly influenced by a previous image of poor quality. Because of this they may not believe in new claims may not be willing to take time to verify them. Thus it is critical to protect a brand from gaining a shoddy quality from which recovery is difficult and sometimes impossible.

☛  The company may achieve quality on an aspect, which the consumers do not consider important.

☛  Customers rarely have all the information necessary to make a rational and objective judgment on quality-even if they do have the information they lack the motivation and the time to process it. Thus it is important to understand the little things that consumers use as a basis for making a judgment about the quality. E.g. if the customer kicks the tires to test the sturdiness of a car the tires have to be sturdy.

☛  As customers may not know how best to judge quality they might be looking at the wrong cues. A metaphor or a visual image can help consumers see the context in the right way. Jewellery stores that cater to first time diamond buyers must educate buyers that quality is not necessarily reflected in price tags or carat claims.