What is brand awareness?
Brand awareness goes beyond simple name recognition. It encompasses the associations, emotions, and perceptions that people have about a brand. When people think of a specific product category, brands with high awareness are more likely to come to mind first. For example, when thinking of smartphones, many people immediately think of Apple or Samsung due to their strong brand awareness.
But brand awareness can also evolve and expand into new categories. Take Apple’s journey into the watch market. Just a decade ago, if you asked someone to name a watch brand, they might have said Rolex, Timex, or Casio. Apple wasn’t even in the conversation. Fast forward to today, and the Apple Watch has over 100 Million users and has become synonymous with smartwatches and wearable technology.
This shift didn’t happen overnight. Apple leveraged its existing brand strength in technology and innovation to create a new association in peoples’ minds. They didn’t just create a watch; they used their existing awareness in people’s minds that they are the company that reimagines what a ‘watch’, could be. Apple improved their brand awareness in a category they hadn’t previously been in. They did this by using smart marketing, consistent branding, and making a product that fit their main values of easy-to-use design and new technology.
How Brand Awareness Works
Brand awareness works by creating mental shortcuts for people. When faced with a purchasing decision, people are more likely to choose brands they’re familiar with and trust. This familiarity is built through various touchpoints, including:
- Advertising and marketing campaigns
- Social media presence
- Product packaging and design
- Customer experiences and word-of-mouth
- Sponsorships and partnerships
As people repeatedly engage with a brand across different channels, they develop a sense of familiarity and if done right, positive associations. This effect over time can help influence people to make their purchasing decisions long before it’s time to make their choice and build loyalty over time.
The Importance of Brand Awareness
Brand awareness plays a critical role in a company’s success for several reasons:
- Trust and Credibility: Familiar brands are often perceived as more trustworthy and credible.
- Competitive Advantage: Strong brand awareness can help a company stand out in crowded markets.
- Customer Loyalty: People are more likely to continue using products and brands they know and trust.
- Premium Pricing: Well-known brands can often command higher prices due to perceived value.
- New Product Launches: Established brands can more easily introduce new products to the market.
Brand Awareness vs. Brand Recognition
While often used interchangeably, brand awareness and brand recognition are distinct concepts:
- Brand Awareness: The overall familiarity people have with a brand, including its values, products, and reputation.
- Brand Recognition: The ability of people to identify a brand through visual or auditory cues, such as logos or jingles.
Brand awareness is a broader concept that encompasses brand recognition but also includes deeper associations and recall.
Building Brand Awareness
Creating and maintaining strong brand awareness starts in the hearts of the people, and grows through evangelism. Your brand spreading through word-of-mouth, social media, or targeted advertising requires an effective strategy that combines a few of the elements below.
- Consistent Branding:
- Who are you to your customers?
- What are the perceptions of you across products and platforms?
- How cohesive is your identity?
- Content Marketing:
- How visible are you?
- Do your customers want to see you where you show up?
- Do you know what is relevant to your customers or are you too late?
- Social Media Engagement:
- Are your customers even here?
- Does your messaging make sense for the platform?
- What is my role on social media?
- Influencer Partnerships:
- Is this authentic to my brand or who I think my brand is?
- Is this relevant to the people who buy my brand? Or will buy in the future?
- Are our values aligned?
- Customer Experience:
- Where is the split between what we do and what we say?
- What is the experience our customers are really having?
- How do we know what are customers are saying to each other about us?
- Community Involvement:
- What does community involvement mean to our customers?
- How can we educate them on what we are already doing?
Measuring Brand Awareness
While brand awareness can be challenging to quantify, there are several methods to assess its effectiveness:
- Surveys and questionnaires
- Social Listening and Trend Scanning
- Creative Analytics
- Aided and Unaided brand awareness testing
- Website traffic and engagement metrics
Companies often use a combination of these methods to get a comprehensive view of their brand awareness levels and track changes over time.
Real-World Brand Awareness Success Stories
Mountain Dew: Mountain Dew prioritizes partnerships with popular Social Media stars like Druski to start a podcast produced by BlueWire to talk with professional athletes and share their origin stories. This strategy not only boosts the creators’ brands but also enhances Mountain Dew’s reputation among its target by meeting them where they are, and allowing the creator to set the tone and deliver authenticity to them
Beyond Meat: The brand’s curated authentic messaging about its products’ ingredients and purpose has helped cement it as a top meat replacement for both vegan and non-vegan consumers. Strategic grocery store placement and a very clear messaging to build buzz has allowed the brand to increase product awareness without causing confusion with its core target
Spotify: Spotify’s annual “Wrapped” campaign has been a boon for a brand that’s awareness had stagnated. By using personalization and creating something shareable, Spotify has created an opportunity for its users to share something of value and intrigue with their peers, organically boosting brand awareness. This campaign turns users into brand ambassadors, generating growth, reach, and engagement.
Elevating Your Brand Awareness Strategy
So now that you get what brand awareness is all about, if you want to take your efforts to the next level? Here’s what you can do:
- Meet them where they are and understand your role in their spaces
- Refine your targeting and messaging to create communication strategies that resonate emotionally with them
- Continuously monitor and adapt to how people change to make sure you are relevant in the same ways over time, or give yourself the ability to adjust
By focusing on building and maintaining strong brand awareness, companies can create a solid foundation for long-term success, while also driving greater recognition, credibility, trust, and (eventually!) loyalty among potential buyers.
Looking to learn more about how you can drive greater brand awareness? Contact us!.
Written By:
Issa Braithwaite
Issa has over three years of consumer insights and product management experience. He has spent years understanding consumer behavior, as well as the relationship between individuals and brands. For him, it's about exploring the infinite space in between the unseen that excites him. Understanding the behavior, attitudes, and motivations that draw people to products and brands is why he loves The Sound. Issa has degrees in Finance and Behavioral Economics from Ohio University, as well as an MBA from the University of British Columbia.
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