Brand value is a measure of the overall image or concept of the meaning or value of a word, name or address (such as a web address) by consumers. Brand value can be influenced by the number of brand impressions, the context or surrounding content to the brand impression, as well as the current mindset they have concerning the brand.

Brand Impressions - A brand impression is a single presentation of a message or media item that provides viewers with information about brand qualities or attributes. A recipient may be exposed to brand messages without direct perception such as seeing a logo on a white paper, hearing a sponsorship message or seeing (but not clicking) on a ad that is displayed within a search results page.

Association Context - Association context is the set of parameters a device or recipient currently has which can influence their interaction with content or services. How the recipient perceives or relates to the brand impression may be influenced by the content or environment it is surrounded by. For example, the announcement of a new book on search engine optimization on a web page that displays a person winning a Nigerian lottery is very different than the announcement of a new book on search engine optimization on an Internet Marketing training web site.

Mindset - A mindset is the attitude or beliefs of a person that often determines their perception and response to situations or events. Mindset may be described in terms of awareness, perceived value as related to a need or desire, and the credibility or beliefs of related thoughts.

Figure 1.x shows how brand value can be developed over a period of time through impressions and changes in mindset. In the first impression, the recipient becomes aware of the availability of marketing books from Althos Publishing. In the second impression, the recipient learns that Althos also provides information in tutorial form, which increases the perceived value of Althos. In the third impression, the recipient receives a book recommendation from a friend, which increases the credibility of Althos.