Nielsen BuzzMetrics has launched a tool that maps how consumers talk about brands across billions of unaided conversations online.

The Brand Association Map (BAM) uses advanced text-mining algorithms to plot the most important language, attributes, issues and themes about a brand in concentric circles, derived from consumer expression in blogs, boards, ratings sites and other forms of consumer-generated media. With the brand represented in the bull's-eye, the resulting visualization empowers marketers to quickly grasp how brand identity, reputation and equity mesh with core assumptions.

"The Brand Association Map takes a powerful snapshot of a brand DNA, helping marketers reconcile intuition and beliefs about brands with how consumers really contextualize them," said Jerry Needel, senior vice president, product management, Nielsen BuzzMetrics. "This aids understanding of true brand health, and results in marketers asking the right questions and making better decisions."

To see how some major brands have executed some innovative word-of-mouth marketing programs, read "Chrysler, Coke: New Brand Buzz Leaders."