The power of a strong personal brand is clear in the new deal between the Swedish clothing company H&M and Madonna....

The affiliation will have Madonna's dancers clad in H&M clothing. Madonna promotes the importance of personal branding in her comments about the deal :

"Partnering up with H&M feels like a perfect fit. We'll all get to express ourselves in our own individual ways. The dancers and I are excited to go shopping together."

Brand association is a powerful way to reinforce or augment brand attributes. H&M has already successfully partnered with Karl Lagerfeld. Now the deal with Madonna confirms that this is a major part of the H&M branding strategy.

You can test your knowledge of brand associations with this quick quiz.