We say the brand is strong when it generates an objective behavior: its purchase and not the substitution for another one.
Or either a brand is strong when it resists effectively to:

• Brands of lower price (b- brands, brands of the deliverer)
• Promotions
• A not favorable position in the display
• The argument of the salesmen
• Timing

 As we see, this is different than be present (top of mind) or simply to please and to generate a favorable predisposition (perception of the image). The strength of the brand is a referred notion to its presence in the behavior, already top of mind and  image mentions the presence of it in the mind, what it is necessary, but not enough.
The main difference with market share is the fact that a brand of great penetration not necessarily is resistant to lower prices, being vulnerable to the competition.

How to evaluate the strength of a brand?
Obviously, observing and analyzing the purchase behavior.
Chetochine, in France, was pioneer in this field, developing in the early 70s, techniques and over all new concepts of analysis to understand the new reality installed for the first hypermarket of the world.
With a group of marketing students, a model of observation and a logic of exploration of the behavior were created, taking care theses interviews were not carried through under the logic of the motivational interviews that explored elements as associations, sensations, etc.
These qualitative and quantitative approaches had allowed not only to analyze and to measure the strength of the brands, but also to have a more detailed notion on its competitive situation, disclosing for example:
What it makes it strong in the purchasing time.
In which segments is evident the biggest necessity of brand and in which others the same buyer doesn’t make question of it.
Which brands or competitor’s actions threaten them.
Which criteria determinate the purchase when a brand is not looked.

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