Attributes or benefits consumers strongly associate with a brand, positively evaluate and believe they could not find to the same extent with a competing brand i.e. points where you are claiming superiority or exclusiveness over other products in the category.

Associations that are not necessarily unique to the brand but may be shared by other brands i.e. where you can at least match the competitors claimed bets. While POPs may usually not be the reason to choose a brand, their absence can certainly be a reason to drop a brand.