Google fills the critical measurement gap between awareness and consideration, giving marketers a clear view of how their brand is actually being seen – not just remembered.
What’s new. Google Ads has introduced a new “association” metric within Brand Lift Studies. Advertisers can define a concept, category or attribute, and Google will ask users a survey-style question: what brands do they associate with that particular idea.
How does this work. Instead of measuring simple recall, the metric assesses whether the audience connected your product to the desired location. That can mean “premium,” “sustainable,” or product category — which provides a dynamic read on product perception.
Why do we care. Google gives you a way to measure brand positioning, not just know or remember. A new Association metric helps determine whether campaigns are shaping the way consumers perceive a brand – the critical step between awareness and choice. It also enables the development of more creative strategies and messages, especially for brands trying to own certain symbols or categories.
Between the lines. Brand Lift traditionally focuses on awareness, recall and consideration. The organization sits in the middle, helping marketers understand if their messages are shaping up How people think about the brand, not just whether they see it.
Catching up. There is still a limitation: marketers can only select three Brand Lift metrics for each study, so adding an Association means making trade-offs for existing KPIs.
An important point. Aggregation gives marketers a more strategic lens on brand design – measuring not just visibility, but whether campaigns convey the intended message.
It was first seen. This update was first spotted by Google Ads expert, Thomas Eccel who shared the update on LinkedIn.
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