Brand awareness is a key metric for advertisers and chief marketing officers (CMOs) in understanding the level of familiarity consumers have with their brand or Company. In today’s highly competitive business environment, building and maintaining strong brand awareness is essential to the success of any company.
At its core, brand awareness advertising refers to the extent to which consumers are familiar with a brand, recognize it, and associate it with certain attributes or products. Strong brand awareness is a critical asset for any company because it helps establish trust with consumers and influences their purchasing decisions.
Which targeting option is best for achieving brand awareness?
Advertisers and CMOs must engage in a variety of marketing and advertising activities but you often don’t get to see how the technology is actually working. It’s important to understand the nuances of each primary way of targeting so you can think through a campaign on a tactical level.
In general, here are the best targeting options for achieving brand awareness (+ corresponding brand awareness KPIs) for top brand awareness channels and tactics.
| Platform | Brand Awareness KPI | Pros | Cons | Guidance |
| Search | Share of search | Measures brand visibility in organic + paid search vs. competing brands | Like all brand awareness metrics, may not match share of market in actual business value. | Since search enjoys lift from other brand channels, it’s a leading, reliable indicator of brand awareness. |
| Meta | Brand Lift + Reach* | Measures exposed vs. unexposed audiences | Not available to all advertisers. And all data verified by Meta only | Like all Meta KPIs, brand lift is not 3P verified, therefore its objectivity is in question, but useful. |
| Google + YouTube | Reach* + Brand Lift | Reach is directional only; Brand lift measures exposed vs. unexposed audiences | Brand lift available only to select advertisers + values display as equivalent to video. | Like Meta above, Google is a walled garden. Use directionally. |
| OOH | DEC: Daily Effective Circulation | Essentially the number of people who see an OOH ad daily. Unskippable, geo-precise. | Geo-specific only, panel-based data at best | OOH is consistently a reliable way to improve brand visibility. Limitations are: geo-specific and more challenging to buy (but we can help!) |
| TV | Reach* +(GRP, TRP), Spike lift | Generally unskippable, sold in :30 sec blocks | Accuracy of TV measurement “currency” has been hotly debated in past 5 years. | See this page for TV ad planning guidance. |
It is important to develop a clear and consistent approach to brand media that resonates with the target audience and to use messaging and visuals that are memorable and distinctive. This involves understanding the target audience and their preferences, as well as keeping up with industry trends and changes in consumer behavior.
Benefits of high brand awareness
- Consumers are more likely to trust the brand: A strong brand can increase consumer loyalty, trust, and willingness to pay a premium for its products or services.
- Consumers consider the brand when making a purchase: strong brand awareness can help businesses differentiate themselves from their competitors and increase their market share.
- Consumers recommend the brand to others: It can lead to increased word-of-mouth advertising, as people are more likely to recommend a brand they are familiar with and trust
The importance of brand awareness is evident in the many ways it can impact a business’s success.
How to actually measure brand awareness?
The targeting and objective settings above assume that brand awareness is measured consistently from channel to channel. The problem is: it’s not. For advertisers and CMOs, measuring brand awareness is a key part of evaluating the effectiveness of paid media at growing brand equity. But there are various methods for measuring brand awareness. Here are three common brand awareness KPIs:
- Surveys: An online brand awareness survey is a good way to get an insight into how many people are aware of your brand. You also can run it as a targeted ad. Surveys help businesses understand how many people are familiar with their brand and how they perceive it.
- Online analytics: By tracking website traffic and search engine rankings, you can understand how often people are searching for the brand (see search in the table above).
- Social media engagement: This can provide valuable insights into how often people are mentioning the brand on social media platforms and how much engagement those mentions are generating. The more your mentions are, the higher your brand awareness is.
There are also several levels of brand awareness – some theorize regarding a hierarchical brand pyramid of aspects, but Aided brand awareness and Unaided brand awareness are undoubtedly its base. And they are are not created equally:
- Aided brand awareness: recognition of a specific brand or product from a list of possible names offered as a prompt
- Unaided brand awareness: recognition of a specific brand or product without being prompted with possible names. (Source: Wikitionary)
- Beyond this are the various tiers leading up to brand equity and brand value. For more, read about the 2 core theories of brand equity.
The Role of Brand Awareness in Brand Growth
In today’s digital age, brand awareness has become more important than ever. With the rise of e-commerce and online shopping, consumers have access to a wider variety of products and brands than ever before. This means that building strong brand awareness is crucial to ensuring that a business’s products or services are noticed and considered by potential customers. In addition, social media and other digital marketing channels have made it easier for businesses to build and maintain brand awareness, as they can reach large audiences with targeted messages and creative campaigns.
In conclusion, brand awareness is a critical component of any successful marketing strategy. It helps build trust with consumers, influences their purchasing decisions, and differentiates a business from its competitors. Advertisers and CMOs must invest in building and maintaining strong brand awareness by engaging in various marketing and advertising activities and keeping up with industry trends and changes in consumer behavior. As the business environment becomes more competitive and digital, having a strong brand awareness is more important than ever.
Sources referenced + suggested reading:
- Brand Equity + Why It Matters for Growth
- How to Grow Brand Equity? A Framework [Barbie Case Study]
- How to Launch a New Brand [Awareness Campaigns 101]
- Marketing Chart | Which targeting option is best for achieving brand awareness
- Marketing Chart | Brand awareness metrics