Be So Cool They Can’t Forget You: Intro to Brand Awareness

Brand awareness measures how easily a brand is recognized by consumers. It signifies the extent of people's knowledge about a brand and their speed in identifying it. Brands with a high brand awareness are often referred to as ‘popular,’ ‘viral,’ ‘trending,’ or ‘buzzworthy.’ Establishing brand awareness is valuable when marketing, especially on social media, to promote your company’s products and services.

In 2022, Hubspot came out with the “Ultimate Guide to Brand Awareness.” Let’s dive deeper.

Be a Person, Not a Company

When meeting a new pal, it's all about digging into their hobbies, their life story, what fires them up, and their yays and nays, right? Plus, you want to understand how they chat, their tone, and what topics really get them going. Your brand? It's gotta roll the same way. To make a splash with your crowd and create brand awareness, you gotta be more than just a sell-sell machine. You gotta be human, not a company.

Think, if your brand was like meeting a new friend, how would you introduce it? What do you want to be known for? What's its story, its passion, its unique vibe? That's the real deal for creating a brand that sticks.

Socialize

Whether you’re introverted or extroverted, your business needs to socialize. How? Social media marketing. Social awareness amps up your brand's game by boosting visibility, increasing audience engagement, showcasing your brand’s personality, and lots more.

According to Sprout Social (2024), “51.2% of people research brands online before making a purchase.” Your socials NEED show what you’re about and what people can expect from you. Think, if a new customer comes into your business, what and HOW do you tell them about your business? Tell this same story on your social media. But remember, be a person, not a business.

Tell a Story

Storytelling in marketing, through narratives about your brand or products, engages audiences by adding a human touch and depth. True stories, whether about your founder, your first product, or your business's journey, resonate due to their authenticity, significantly enhancing brand awareness. According to research by Headstream, “if people love a brand story, 55% are more likely to buy the product in future, 44% will share the story, and 15% will buy the product immediately.” Don’t sell, tell. Tell me something about your business that I did not know before.

Make Sharing Easy

Make your content easily shareable across various platforms to harness the power of word-of-mouth marketing, which significantly boosts brand trust and familiarity. Engaging with your audience should go beyond mere transactions; it's about creating meaningful interactions that leave a lasting impression, just as in genuine friendships. Facilitating effortless sharing of your content can organically enhance your brand's visibility and perception.

Learn more about word-of-mouth marketing with our Soodle blog, “Why Your Friends Are Your Best Billboards.”

Heinz Brand Awareness Case Study

Photo: @Heinz_Ca (CNW Group/Kraft Heinz Canada)

Who thought they would be reading about ketchup today? Us! It’s one of our favourite branding campaigns here at Soodle!

In 2021, The Kraft Heinz Company in Canada anonymously asked consumers from 18 countries to draw ketchup. Simple enough task. The result? All participants, except one guy who drew mustard, drew a Heinz bottle of ketchup. The drawings varied in quality, but the one common trait in all drawings was Heinz.

Daniel Gotlib, Associate Director for Brand Building and Innovation, stated: “We wanted to uncover that instinctual and intuitive association consumers have between ketchup and Heinz. When we anonymously asked consumers to draw ketchup, we learned that when people think ketchup, they think and visualize Heinz – everything from our deep red colour and unique name to the keystone label and, of course, our iconic glass bottle.”

What made this campaign remarkable was its ability to tap into the subconscious connection people had with the Heinz brand. It showcased the incredible depth of brand awareness Heinz had cultivated over the years. The campaign demonstrated that Heinz had become synonymous with ketchup in the minds of consumers worldwide. This level of brand recognition didn't happen overnight; it was the result of years of consistent branding, quality products, and effective marketing strategies.

To conclude the campaign, Heinz did something both innovative and engaging: they compiled some of the best (and even some of the worst) drawings and featured them in a captivating online video. Furthermore, select drawings were showcased on a limited-release run of Heinz ketchup bottles in grocery stores and on digital billboards. By incorporating consumer-created content into their marketing efforts, Heinz not only celebrated their customers but also reinforced their brand identity in a fun and relatable way.

How can your small business learn from Heinz?

Small businesses can draw inspiration from Heinz's campaign by recognizing the value of a strong and consistent brand identity. Building brand awareness isn't just about promoting a product; it's about creating a lasting connection with consumers. Heinz succeeded by understanding their brand's essence and leveraging it creatively. They showcased their brand not as a mere condiment but as a part of people's lives, memories, and creativity. By understanding what their brand meant to consumers on a deeper level, Heinz was able to create a campaign that left a lasting impression and set a powerful example for other companies aiming to strengthen their brand awareness. The campaign was so cool, we didn’t forget it!

You can watch the full campaign video here.

Photo: @Heinz_Ca (CNW Group/Kraft Heinz Canada)

Conclusion

It's all about being the brand that's too cool to forget. Whether you're crafting a story, making your content super shareable, or just being your awesome, authentic self, it's about creating those connections that stick. Remember, it's not just what you sell, but the memorable mark you leave that counts. Keep it real, keep it fun, and let your brand's personality shine.