Brand Awareness Explained: What It Is and How to Improve It?
Updated on Jul 22, 2025 | 9 min read | 6.16K+ views
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| Did you know? In 2025, brands that used technographic segmentation, targeting customers based on how they interact with technology, saw a 40% jump in brand awareness. This slashed cart abandonment by 50% and boosted repeat purchases by 33%. Turns out, understanding your audience’s tech habits might just be the secret weapon your brand strategy needs. |
Brand awareness is more than just a logo or a catchy tagline; it’s how easily people recognize and remember your brand when they need a product or service. Building it means creating meaningful connections and consistent experiences that stick in customers’ minds.
This blog breaks down the practical steps and marketing strategies you can use to boost your brand’s presence and trust. Read on to discover actionable tips that can help your brand stand out and grow effectively.
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What Is Brand Awareness?
Brand awareness is how well people recognize and remember a brand. It's what makes someone say "Thums Up" when they mean cola, or think of Zomato the moment they’re hungry.
A strong example is how Fevicol consistently shows up in Indian pop culture, not by shouting about glue, but through clever ads that people actually enjoy watching. Their viral "Fevicol Ka Jod" campaigns have kept them top of mind for decades. According to The Economic Times, Fevicol held a 70% market share in 2024.
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Now let’s look at the different types of brand awareness.
Types of Brand Awareness You Should Know
Not all brand awareness is equal. These types show how well your brand sticks in people’s minds and how easily they recall or prefer it. Here's a quick breakdown:
- Brand Recognition: When people can identify your brand by visuals like a logo or color.
Example: The red and white of Coca-Cola. - Brand Recall: When people can name your brand without visual cues.
Example: Saying “Maggi” when asked about instant noodles in India. - Top-of-Mind Awareness: The first brand that comes to mind in a category.
Example: “Colgate” for toothpaste. - Brand Dominance: When customers only think of your brand for a product.
Example: “Xerox” for photocopying. - Brand Preference: When customers favor your brand over others.
Example: Choosing “Tata Tea” even if other options are available.
Understanding the types of brand awareness helps you see where your brand currently stands and what kind of impression you're leaving. Once you know that, the next step is figuring out how to strengthen it.
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Let’s look at some of the most effective ways to build and grow brand awareness from the ground up.
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Top Strategies to Improve Brand Awareness
According to a July 2024 report by WorldMetrics, 75% of consumers are more likely to purchase from a brand they recognize. That recognition doesn’t happen by chance; it’s built through consistent, strategic effort.
The following strategies aim to help your brand stay top-of-mind with the right audience.
1. Influencer Marketing
What it is: Collaborating with influencers to showcase your brand to their followers through authentic content.
Example: Pilgrim, the Indian D2C beauty brand, partnered with actress Yami Gautam and a group of micro-influencers for its hair serum campaign. Influencers created humorous, relatable posts around “Pilgrim ne dhoond nikale,” reaching over 7.6 million views and driving a 3× increase in sales.
2. Augmented Reality (AR) Experiences
What it is: Using interactive AR ads to engage users directly with your product through immersive digital experiences.
Example: Vivo launched AR unboxing ads for its V19 smartphone during a Facebook campaign. Users could preview the device via immersive filters, boosting ad recall by 9.5 points and tripling click-through rates compared to previous campaigns .
Also Read: Top 5 Ways To Use Augmented Reality (AR) For Marketing [With Real Life Examples]
3. Localized Influencer Campaigns
What it is: Engaging micro-influencers across regions to generate authentic, culturally-relevant content.
Example: mCaffeine rolled out a multi-language YouTube Shorts influencer campaign with 12 creators. They posted regional content, boosting video reach significantly and tapping into local audiences .
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4. Meme Marketing
What it is: Integrating humor and cultural references into shareable memes that spread quickly across social media.
Example: JCB India’s #JCBKiKhudai meme trend went viral, generating the equivalent of $1 million USD in media attention by leveraging humorous takes on its core product .
Also Read: How to enhance digital marketing through memes?
5. Voice-Enabled Interactive Ads
What it is: Use voice-controlled elements in mobile ads to create immersive user experiences.
Example: OnePlus TV U1S ran voice-interactive mobile ads via mCanvas. Users could speak commands like “Turn on the TV,” achieving a 6.5 million reach, a 2% CTR (10 times the industry average), and an average engagement of over 6 seconds per user.
Now that you’ve seen some of the most effective strategies to improve brand awareness, it’s equally important to know what to avoid. Many brands lose visibility not because they lack effort but because of easily preventable mistakes. In the next section, we’ll look at common missteps that can quietly harm your brand's presence and credibility.
Common Mistakes That Hurt Brand Awareness
Even well-known companies can struggle with brand awareness when missteps go unchecked. A notable example is Zomato’s 2022 backlash over its Blinkit rebranding confusion.
The food delivery giant attempted to merge grocery delivery with food services under one identity. However, inconsistent messaging left users unclear about what the brand actually stood for. This hurt trust and diluted recognition, prompting Zomato to later operate Blinkit as a separate brand again.
To avoid similar issues, here’s a table outlining common brand awareness mistakes and how to fix them.
Mistake |
Why It Hurts? |
Workaround |
| Inconsistent messaging | Confuses your audience about what you offer | Align communication across platforms and train all teams on brand tone |
| Ignoring your audience’s feedback | Makes your brand seem disconnected or uncaring | Regularly monitor reviews, respond, and adapt based on genuine concerns |
| Overposting or spamming | Leads to audience fatigue or being muted/blocked | Focus on quality, not quantity. Use a content calendar |
| Poor visual branding | Weakens recall value and makes you forgettable | Stick to a defined style guide for logos, colors, and fonts |
| Chasing trends without relevance | Risks losing authenticity and damaging credibility | Evaluate if the trend aligns with your core message before participating |
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These simple but often overlooked errors can erode years of brand-building. Awareness is only effective when backed by consistency, relevance, and audience respect.
Final Thoughts: Building a Memorable Brand
Brand awareness is about making your brand recognizable and memorable to your target audience by consistently delivering clear messages, engaging experiences, and building trust. This blog showed how understanding different types of brand awareness and applying effective strategies can help you stand out in a crowded market.
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Here are some additional courses to help you:
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References:
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/growth-agenda/are-tech-behaviours-and-attitudes-the-secret-to-brand-success/news-story/16d5cd9a1bba0bf5d34ed3a43e3b032c
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/bulls-eye-pidilite-industries-irb-infrastructure-coal-india-polaris-tata-motors/articleshow/7532910.cms
https://worldmetrics.org/
https://copydash.io/2024/07/12/branded-content-marketing-your-expert-starter-guide
https://aljazeera.co.in/digital-marketing/case-study-how-pilgrim-created-brand-awareness-by-launching-an-extensive-influencer-marketing-campaign/
https://brandequity.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/advertising/vivo-comes-up-with-new-campaign-for-vivo-v19/76258984
https://www.themediaant.com/blog/top-10-influencer-marketing-campaigns
https://www.kofluence.com/brand-awareness-through-influencer-marketing
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. How can brand awareness influence customer decision-making beyond just recognition?
Brand awareness shapes customer decisions by creating an emotional connection and trust with the brand, even before a purchase is considered. When customers recognize a brand and associate it with positive experiences, they tend to prefer it over unfamiliar alternatives. This familiarity reduces perceived risk and increases the likelihood of choosing that brand.
2. How does cultural context affect brand awareness strategies?
Brand awareness tactics that work in one region might not work in another due to cultural differences in values, language, and communication styles. Brands need to tailor their messaging and marketing channels to resonate locally. For example, a global brand might highlight family values in India while focusing on innovation in Western markets to improve awareness.
3. What are some low-budget ways startups can boost brand awareness effectively?
Startups can focus on community engagement, collaborations with influencers, hosting webinars or local events, and creating valuable content like blogs or videos. Leveraging social media and user-generated content also builds awareness without heavy spending. The key is consistent interaction and delivering value that sparks word of mouth.
4. How does brand awareness help in crisis management?
Brands with strong awareness often weather crises better because customers have established trust. When issues arise, customers are more forgiving and likely to wait for explanations. Maintaining transparent communication during tough times preserves the awareness built and can even strengthen brand loyalty post-crisis.
5. How can measuring brand awareness impact marketing budget decisions?
Tracking metrics like brand recall, social mentions, and website traffic helps marketers understand what’s working. Brands can then allocate budgets more efficiently by investing in strategies that boost awareness effectively and cutting down on less productive efforts, ensuring better returns on marketing spend.
6. Can too much brand awareness ever be a problem?
Excessive exposure without consistent positive experiences can lead to brand fatigue or annoyance among customers. Over-promoting or pushing irrelevant messages might cause audiences to disengage. Successful brand awareness balances visibility with meaningful, relevant communication that respects customer preferences.
7. How does brand awareness interact with brand reputation?
Awareness introduces customers to a brand, but reputation defines their feelings about it. If awareness grows but the brand reputation is poor due to bad service or quality, the awareness won’t convert to sales or loyalty. Both need to develop hand-in-hand for sustained business success.
8. What role does employee advocacy play in improving brand awareness?
Employees who share positive stories about their workplace and products help spread authentic brand messages. Their networks become additional channels for awareness, often perceived as more trustworthy than traditional ads. Encouraging employee advocacy can expand reach organically.
9. How does brand awareness affect pricing power?
Brands with higher awareness often command premium prices because customers associate them with quality and reliability. Awareness builds perceived value, allowing businesses to price products or services higher than lesser-known competitors without losing customers.
10. How important is consistency in branding to maintaining awareness over time?
Consistent use of logos, colors, tone, and messaging ensures customers easily recognize a brand across different platforms. Inconsistency confuses customers and weakens awareness. Brands that maintain uniformity reinforce their identity and make a lasting impression.
11. How do emerging technologies influence brand awareness strategies?
Technologies like AI, augmented reality, and voice search offer new ways to engage audiences and personalize brand experiences. For example, AR try-ons or AI chatbots can create memorable interactions that boost awareness. Staying updated with tech trends allows brands to innovate their awareness efforts.
21 articles published
Robin Joseph Abraham is a digital marketing expert with over 10 years of experience, specializing in SEO, web analytics, and content optimization. He currently manages Global Technical SEO at Hewlett ...
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