International Journal of Market Research Vol. 58 Issue 6 779 © 2016 The Market Research Society DOI: 10.2501/IJMR-2016-052 FORUM Comparing association grids and 'pick any' lists for measuring brand attributes Duncan Rintoul University of Wollongong, Australia Homa Hajibaba University of Wollongong, Australia Sara Dolnicar University of Queensland, Australia Using a split-ballot experiment with 940 respondents, this study compares the quality of data from an association grid with data gathered through a single ‘pick any’ list repeated for each brand on a new page in a web survey. The association grid is a multiple response matrix used to measure brand image associations for a number of brands at the same time. Attributes are usually presented as rows, and brands in columns, allowing respondents to select each association they perceive to be true (e.g. Coca Cola – Popular). Our results indicate that larger association grids are answered considerably faster, but are heavily prone to evasion bias and perform worse when it comes to drop-out, comprehension and attention to the task. Smaller association grids have no ill effect on the respondent experience, but are also devoid of material benefit in terms of field time or data quality. As a tool for measuring brand-image association, the association grid is therefore not recommended. Introduction Brand image is often measured using the ‘pick any’ response format, in which respondents are presented with a list of attributes and asked to select all that apply to the brand in question. A number of recent studies on the measurement of brand-image association have raised concerns about the ‘pick any’ format, particularly due to the potential for evasion, Received (in revised form): 6 December 2015