The Hidden Operating System of Marketing: Ulli Appelbaum on the Science of Brand Associations

When marketers think about growth, they often focus on purpose, storytelling, or functional benefits. Yet Ulli Appelbaum, brand strategist and award-winning author, argues that the most powerful driver of brand success has been hiding in plain sight all along: brand associations.

With his new book, The Science of Brand Associations: Win Minds, Win Markets (out August 18, 2025), Appelbaum brings evidence-based rigor to a topic that has long been neglected. Drawing from neuroscience, cognitive psychology, and decades of marketing research, he demonstrates that associations are not just one piece of the puzzle—they are the operating system that drives how consumers perceive, prefer, and purchase brands.

---

Most marketers obsess over purpose, storytelling, or consumer benefits. But without a strong association network, those efforts are like apps running on outdated software.

---

A Proven Concept, Finally in the Spotlight

Search Amazon and you’ll find more than 50,000 books on “brand building” and thousands on “brand strategy.” But on “brand associations”? Zero. Despite decades of academic and research insights, practitioners have largely overlooked this foundation of branding.

That gap is what motivated Appelbaum to write his latest book. “Brands are networks of meanings, feelings, and experiences in the mind,” he explains. “These associations silently drive everything from awareness and recall to pricing power and resilience in downturns.”

By curating the best science and distilling it into practical frameworks, Appelbaum has created a roadmap for marketers to build brands that not only stand out but also stick.

What Marketers Will Gain

The book is not just theory—it’s a toolkit. Among the highlights:

• 10 reasons brand associations drive results—from preference and differentiation to long-term loyalty.
• 9 strategies and 14 proven principles—practical steps for building strong associative networks.
• Diagnostic scorecards—to help CMOs and brand leaders audit brand health quickly and effectively.
• Troubleshooting frameworks—including how to flip negative associations, such as greenwashing or cultural irrelevance, into assets.

Industry leaders are already praising the work. Jacob Cass of the JUST Branding podcast calls it “the OS behind how brands actually grow.” Paul Chibe, CEO of Pabst Brewing Company, says the book “delivers the frameworks needed to build powerful, winning brands.”

Subscribe FREE to Internationalist Marketing TV on YouTube to get notifications of new videos.

 In our conversation, we discuss the following:

• Ulli, in our last conversation around The Brand Positioning Workbook, you emphasized the need for “new eyes” in marketing strategy. Now you’ve written about a concept that’s been “hiding in plain sight”—brand associations. Why do you think such a fundamental driver of brand growth has been overlooked for so long?

• In both books, you call out marketers for chasing fads or sticking to narrow definitions like “consumer benefit.” What blind spots are still holding marketers back from building truly distinctive brands?

• You argue that brand associations are the operating system of marketing. If that’s true, does it mean most brand strategies are running on outdated systems?

• You stress that neuroscience shows how brands live in associative networks in the brain. How should this change the way marketers consider strategy, as well as briefing agencies, or evaluating creative work?

• Many leaders still ask: “What’s our purpose?” or “What’s our story?” Are you suggesting those are secondary questions if the brand’s association network isn’t built first? Shouldn’t they go hand in hand?

• In your introduction, you note that Amazon has thousands of books on “brand strategy” but none on “brand associations.” Does this mean marketers have been investing in the wrong knowledge—or just avoiding the hard science?

• One of your principles is that associations drive preference, premium pricing, and resilience in downturns. If that’s true, why don’t CFOs and procurement leaders demand association audits alongside financial audits?

• Many brands today struggle with negative associations—greenwashing, price gouging, even cultural irrelevance. What’s the single biggest mistake you see marketers making in trying to “fix” those perceptions?

• In our earlier discussion, you suggested most brand managers were missing opportunities by focusing too narrowly on consumer benefits. How does this new book expand on that idea—and does it offer a way out of the “sea of sameness” problem you described?

• Two years ago, you called innovation and creative problem-solving “critical but difficult.” Now that you’ve mapped the science of associations, do you think innovation is easier—or harder—in today’s cluttered marketplace?

• You include diagnostic scorecards in the book. If you were advising a CMO who only has 30 minutes to evaluate their brand’s health, what one or two association questions should they be asking immediately?

• Based on your findings, are there specific “tried and true” marketing myths you’d like to see fade away?

• You close the book with a challenge: Do leaders have the discipline to execute consistently? In your view, is discipline the missing ingredient in modern marketing—or is it courage?

• What’s the one thing you hope readers of The Science of Brand Associations will do differently on their very next campaign briefing?

Why It Matters Now

In a marketplace dominated by sameness, short-term fads, and budget pressures, The Science of Brand Associations offers marketers clarity and direction. Appelbaum shows why associations are critical not only to consumer choice but also to business resilience. They enable faster growth, higher premiums, and greater protection in economic downturnsUlli Appelbaum- The Science of ….

At a time when brands wrestle with consumer trust and cultural relevance, Appelbaum provides a science-based framework for avoiding wasted effort and focusing on what truly matters. As he puts it: “The science and data don’t lie. The question is whether marketing leaders have the discipline to execute consistently.”

Takeaway for Marketers

If The Brand Positioning Workbook was about helping marketers see with “new eyes,” then The Science of Brand Associations is about giving them a new operating system. For anyone tasked with building stronger, more resilient brands, Appelbaum’s book may become required reading—a bridge between science and the day-to-day practice of marketing.

About Ulli Appelbaum

With over 25 years of experience, Appelbaum has developed brand strategies for prominent companies such as Unilever, Procter & Gamble, Nestlé, General Mills, and Harley-Davidson, among others. Before founding his consultancy, First The Trousers Then The Shoes, in Minneapolis, he held senior strategy roles at BBDO, Leo Burnett, Fallon, and SapientNitro. His work has been recognized with seven Effies and an ARF Ogilvy Award.

He is also the author of The Brand Positioning Workbook and creator of popular tools like the “Positioning Roulette” and “Aha! Insight Generation Toolkit,” used by thousands of marketers worldwide.