Brand awareness
Encyclopedia
Brand awareness is a marketing
concept that enables marketers to quantify levels and trends in consumer knowledge and awareness of a brand's existence. At the aggregate (brand) level, it refers to the proportion of consumers who know of the brand
.
Brand awareness studies are most useful when the results are set against a clear benchmark such as data from prior periods, different markets, or competitors. In a survey of nearly 200 senior marketing managers, 61 percent responded that they found the "brand awareness" metric very useful.
Creation of brand awareness is the primary goal of advertising at the beginning of any product's life cycle, and has influence on buying behavior.
Specifically, awareness is the percentage of potential customers or consumers who recognize—or name—a given brand. Marketers may research brand recognition on an “aided” or “prompted” level, posing such questions as, “Have you heard of Mercedes?” Alternatively, they may measure “unaided” or “unprompted” awareness, posing such questions as, “Which makes of cars come to mind?" This is referred to as top of mind awareness
- when only the first brand recalled is recorded (also known as spontaneous brand recall).
study appeared to put this debate to rest by suggesting that all awareness metrics were systematically related, simply reflecting their difficulty, in the same way that certain questions are more difficult in academic exams.
Brand awareness can be measured by showing a consumer the brand and asking whether or not they knew of it beforehand. However, in common market research
practice a variety of recognition and recall measures of brand awareness are employed, all of which test the brand name's association to a product category cue. This came about because most market research in the 20th Century was conducted by post or telephone. Actually showing the brand to consumers usually required more expensive face-to-face interviews (until web-based interviews became possible). This has led many textbooks to conceptualize brand awareness simply as its measures, that is, knowledge that the brand is a member of a particular product category (e.g., soft drinks).
Brand recall
Brand Recall is the extent to which a brand name is recalled as a member of a brand, product or service class, as distinct from brand recognition.
Common market research usage is that pure brand recall requires "unaided recall." For example, a respondent may be asked to recall the names of any cars he may know, or any whisky brands he may know.
Some researchers divide recall into both "unaided" and "aided" recall. "Aided recall" measures the extent to which a brand name is remembered when the actual brand name is prompted. An example of such a question is "Do you know of the "Honda" brand?"
In terms of brand exposure, companies want to look for high levels of unaided recall in relation to their competitors. The first recalled brand name (often called "top of mind") has a distinct competitive advantage in brand space, as it has the first chance of evaluation for purchase.
Brand recognition
Brand recognition is the extent to which a brand is recognized for stated brand attributes, parts, offerings, or communications.
In some cases brand recognition is defined as aided recall — and as a subset of brand recall. In this case, brand recognition is the extent to which a brand name is recognized when prompted with the actual name.
A broader view of brand recognition is the extent to which a brand is recognized within a product class for certain attributes. Logo and tagline testing can be seen as a form of brand recognition testing. For example, if a product name can be associated with a certain tagline, logo, or attribute (safety and Volvo; "Just do it" and Nike), a certain level of brand recognition is present.
Note
No brand awareness methodologies have been independently audited by the Marketing Accountability Standards Board (MASB)
according to MMAP (Marketing Metric Audit Protocol).
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
concept that enables marketers to quantify levels and trends in consumer knowledge and awareness of a brand's existence. At the aggregate (brand) level, it refers to the proportion of consumers who know of the brand
Brand
The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...
.
Brand awareness studies are most useful when the results are set against a clear benchmark such as data from prior periods, different markets, or competitors. In a survey of nearly 200 senior marketing managers, 61 percent responded that they found the "brand awareness" metric very useful.
Purpose
Awareness, attitudes, and usage (AAU) metrics relate closely to what has been called the Hierarchy of Effects, an assumption that customers progress through sequential stages from lack of awareness, through initial purchase of a product, to brand loyalty. In total, these AAU metrics allow companies to track trends in customer knowledge and attitudes.Creation of brand awareness is the primary goal of advertising at the beginning of any product's life cycle, and has influence on buying behavior.
Construction
Marketers evaluate various levels of awareness, depending on whether the consumer in a given study is prompted by a product’s category, brand, advertising or usage situation. Typical questions might be "Have you heard of Brand X?" or "What brand comes to mind when you think 'luxury car'?"Specifically, awareness is the percentage of potential customers or consumers who recognize—or name—a given brand. Marketers may research brand recognition on an “aided” or “prompted” level, posing such questions as, “Have you heard of Mercedes?” Alternatively, they may measure “unaided” or “unprompted” awareness, posing such questions as, “Which makes of cars come to mind?" This is referred to as top of mind awareness
Top of mind awareness
Top-of-mind awareness is: "When people think of you first to fulfill their product or service needs." Traditionally, TOMA has been achieved through traditional channels such as radio, newspapers, television, and magazines. Increasingly companies of all sizes are moving towards social media like...
- when only the first brand recalled is recorded (also known as spontaneous brand recall).
Methodologies
There has been discussion in industry and practice about the meaning and value of various brand awareness metrics. Recently, an empiricalEmpirical
The word empirical denotes information gained by means of observation or experimentation. Empirical data are data produced by an experiment or observation....
study appeared to put this debate to rest by suggesting that all awareness metrics were systematically related, simply reflecting their difficulty, in the same way that certain questions are more difficult in academic exams.
Brand awareness can be measured by showing a consumer the brand and asking whether or not they knew of it beforehand. However, in common market research
Market research
Market research is any organized effort to gather information about markets or customers. It is a very important component of business strategy...
practice a variety of recognition and recall measures of brand awareness are employed, all of which test the brand name's association to a product category cue. This came about because most market research in the 20th Century was conducted by post or telephone. Actually showing the brand to consumers usually required more expensive face-to-face interviews (until web-based interviews became possible). This has led many textbooks to conceptualize brand awareness simply as its measures, that is, knowledge that the brand is a member of a particular product category (e.g., soft drinks).
Brand recall
Brand Recall is the extent to which a brand name is recalled as a member of a brand, product or service class, as distinct from brand recognition.
Common market research usage is that pure brand recall requires "unaided recall." For example, a respondent may be asked to recall the names of any cars he may know, or any whisky brands he may know.
Some researchers divide recall into both "unaided" and "aided" recall. "Aided recall" measures the extent to which a brand name is remembered when the actual brand name is prompted. An example of such a question is "Do you know of the "Honda" brand?"
In terms of brand exposure, companies want to look for high levels of unaided recall in relation to their competitors. The first recalled brand name (often called "top of mind") has a distinct competitive advantage in brand space, as it has the first chance of evaluation for purchase.
Brand recognition
Brand recognition is the extent to which a brand is recognized for stated brand attributes, parts, offerings, or communications.
In some cases brand recognition is defined as aided recall — and as a subset of brand recall. In this case, brand recognition is the extent to which a brand name is recognized when prompted with the actual name.
A broader view of brand recognition is the extent to which a brand is recognized within a product class for certain attributes. Logo and tagline testing can be seen as a form of brand recognition testing. For example, if a product name can be associated with a certain tagline, logo, or attribute (safety and Volvo; "Just do it" and Nike), a certain level of brand recognition is present.
Note
No brand awareness methodologies have been independently audited by the Marketing Accountability Standards Board (MASB)
Marketing Accountability Standards Board (MASB)
The Marketing Accountability Foundation and its Marketing Accountability Standards Board is the independent, private sector, self-governing body of authorized by its membership constituency to establish marketing measurement and accountability standards across industry and domain, for continuous...
according to MMAP (Marketing Metric Audit Protocol).