Components Of Brand Awareness

There are several vital components to brand awareness. 

Building brand awareness (or equity) is a complex process. However, it is required to ensure the long-term success of any business. This article will look at different brand awareness models to help you understand brand equity and build a stronger brand. 

Brand recognition is the ability of consumers to identify a brand when they see it. You can achieve this through solid marketing and a distinctive brand identity. 

Brand loyalty is the tendency of consumers to continue purchasing a brand they know and trust. Businesses can build strong brand awareness and create loyal customers by focusing on these critical components: brand recall, preference, and affinity. In addition, it can be built through consistent quality and excellent customer service.

Brand recall is the ability of consumers to remember a brand when they see it. You can improve this through repeated exposure to the brand, such as through advertising.

Brand preference is the tendency of consumers to choose one brand over another. This can be influenced by price, quality, reputation, and marketing factors.

Brand affinity is the emotional connection that consumers feel toward a brand. Brand affinity can be influenced by trust, loyalty, and customer satisfaction.

Brand loyalty is the tendency of consumers to continue purchasing a brand they know and trust. 

These factors play a role in brand awareness, and you should consider them when developing a marketing strategy.

The three levels of brand awareness

Brand awareness is often thought of in terms of brand recall, but there are three different levels of brand awareness: Brand Recognition, Brand Recall, and Brand Liking. 

1. Brand recognition is when consumers identify a brand’s logo or other vital elements. This is the most basic level of brand awareness, and companies must ensure that their branding is distinctive and recognizable. 
2. Brand recall is when consumers can remember a brand without prompt. This is a higher level of brand awareness, which means that the company has successfully created a memorable brand.
3. Brand liking is when consumers have a positive association with a brand. This is the highest level of brand awareness, and it’s what all companies should strive for. You can generate brand liking through positive word-of-mouth, excellent customer service, or a product consumers love. 

Creating brand awareness

Creating brand awareness is essential for any company that wants to be successful. By focusing on all three levels of brand awareness, companies can create a solid and recognizable brand that consumers will fondly remember.

As mentioned before, brand recall refers to the ability of consumers to remember a brand after being exposed to it. On the other hand, brand recognition is the ability of consumers to identify a brand when presented with its name or logo. Brand awareness is a combination of brand recall and recognition. But for a brand to be truly successful, it must have all three components.

Aaker’s brand equity model

David Aaker developed two brand equity models. Aaker defines brand equity as an asset that includes disfavors related to a brand. 

Awareness is just one step in Aaker’s brand equity model, but it’s essential. Awareness can be thought of as the foundation on which the other components are built. A brand must first be noticed before it can be evaluated, associated with specific attributes, or given meaning. 

There are several different levels of awareness that a brand can achieve.

1. The most basic is simply being aware that the brand exists. This level can be challenging to achieve, particularly for new brands or those in crowded markets. 
2. The next level is recognition, which occurs when the consumer can correctly identify the brand when presented with it. This level requires that the brand has some distinctive visual identity, such as a logo. 
3. The third level is recall – when the consumer can remember the brand without prompts. This level requires the brand to associate with the consumer’s memory strongly. 
4. The final level is when the consumer associates the brand with certain concepts or ideas. This level requires that the brand has a clear and consistent identity that resonates with consumers. 

Five key elements that contribute to brand equity

Awareness is essential for a brand’s success, but it’s only one piece of the puzzle. Aaker’s model provides a comprehensive framework for understanding and building brand equity.

According to Aaker, five key elements contribute to brand equity: brand awareness, loyalty, perceived quality, and brand association. 

Brand awareness refers to the extent to which consumers are familiar with a particular brand. 

Brand loyalty refers to the extent to which consumers are loyal to a particular brand. 

Perceived quality refers to the extent consumers believe a particular brand is of high quality. 

Brand association refers to the extent to which a particular brand is associated with positive attributes. 

Patents, IP, and trading partners: brands with higher stocked proprietary rights have a competitive advantage against other brands.

Aaker’s model helps us understand how these elements work together to create brand equity.

What is brand equity?

Brand equity is the value of a brand, determined by the consumer’s perceptions and attitudes toward the brand. 

Brand equity is based on the consumer’s past experience with the brand. It includes name recognition, brand loyalty, and positive associations.

Brand awareness is a critical component of brand equity and refers to the consumer’s ability to recognize and remember a brand. Many factors can impact brand awareness, including advertising, word-of-mouth, and association with other brands. 

Brand equity is substantial because it can help a brand to differentiate itself from its competitors and to charge a premium price for its products or services. Brand awareness is also essential for businesses when choosing a brand name, as it can influence the brand’s success in the marketplace.

Measuring brand awareness: four basic components

Brand awareness is the extent to which consumers are familiar with a particular brand and its attributes. 

How do you measure brand awareness? There are four essential elements of brand awareness: brand recall, brand recognition, brand preference, and brand repeat purchase behavior. We are repeating ourselves here a lot but trust me, it all makes more sense.

Brand recall is the ability of consumers to retrieve a brand from memory when given specific cues. This can be measured with an unaided recall test, in which respondents are shown a list of product categories and asked to name the brands that fall into each category. 

Brand recognition is the ability of consumers to identify a brand when they see or hear it. This can be measured with an aided recall test, in which respondents are given a list of brands and asked to select the one they recognize. 

Brand preference is the tendency of consumers to choose one brand over another. This can be measured with a choice-based conjoint analysis, in which respondents are shown pairs of brands and asked to select the one they prefer. 

Brand repeat purchase behavior is the likelihood of consumers purchasing a brand again. You can measure repeat purchase behavior with a purchase intention test, in which respondents are asked how likely they are to purchase each brand in the future. 

These are just a few of the ways that you can measure brand awareness. By understanding these measures, you can more effectively track the success of your marketing campaigns and make informed decisions about where to allocate your resources.

Additional methods for measuring brand awareness

There are more methods for measuring brand awareness. 

1. One standard method is to use surveys. This involves asking people whether they have heard of a particular brand and, if so, how familiar they are with it. 
2. Use Google search data. This involves looking at how often people search for a particular brand. This can give insights into how well-known the brand is. 
3. Another important metric is how often the brand is mentioned in the media. This can include news articles, social media posts, and even word-of-mouth conversations.
4. Social media monitoring. This involves tracking brand mentions on social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. This can give insights into how much buzz there is around a particular brand.
5. One standard method is to measure unaided recall, which asks respondents to list all the brands they can think of in a given category. This approach is quick and easy to administer, but it can be problematic because it relies on people’s memory, which may not be accurate. 
6. Another approach is to measure aided recall, which involves providing respondents with a list of brands and asking them to identify which ones they are familiar with. This method is more reliable than unaided recall, but it takes longer to administer and may not be practical for all research projects. 
7. Brand awareness can also be measured using recognition tasks, where respondents are shown a list of brands and asked to identify the one they are thinking of. This method is more reliable than unaided or aided recall, but it can be time-consuming and expensive to administer. 
8. Finally, experts will also look at sales figures to see if there has been any recent growth or decline. By considering all of these factors, brands can better understand their level of awareness and what they can do to improve it.

Ultimately, the best way to measure brand awareness will depend on the resources and objectives of the research project.

How to increase brand awareness

There are many ways to increase brand awareness, but some methods are more effective than others. One of the most important types of brand awareness is visibility. This means making sure potential customers are exposed to your brand regularly. 

The best way to do this is through advertising. Still, you can increase visibility by participating in trade shows and other events and ensuring your branding is visible on your website and social media platforms. 

We can also call that component of brand awareness customer education. Make sure you are communicating what your product or service is, what need it fills, and why customers should choose you over the competition. 

Another essential component of brand awareness is reputation. This means ensuring that your brand is associated with positive attributes such as quality, value, and customer service. You can build a positive reputation by providing excellent products and services and ensuring that your customers have a positive experience with your brand. 

One key component is ensuring your branding is solid and consistent across all your marketing materials. Consistent branding includes using the same logo, colors, and overall look and feel on all of your marketing and communication channels: on your website, social media, print collateral, and anywhere else your customers might come into contact with your brand.

Finally, another critical component of brand awareness is word of mouth. This means encouraging customers to spread the word about your brand to their friends and family. You can increase word-of-mouth marketing by offering incentives such as discount codes or giveaways. 

Focusing on these critical components can increase brand awareness and reach more potential customers.

There are many different ways to increase brand awareness for your business. Finally, don’t forget the power of word-of-mouth marketing. Positive customer reviews and testimonials can significantly increase brand awareness and build trust with potential customers.

Keller’s brand equity model: the CBBE model

It was conceived in 1993 by Dartmouth professor Kevin Lane Keller. The models are known as CBBE models and are available through Strategic Brand Management. The customer brand equity (also referred to as Customer-Based Brand Equity or CBBE) model aims to develop strong brand values and influence how people think about your business. It can’t be worth bringing a company to the market without a customer perception. 

The CBBE model is valuable for understanding how consumers interact with brands. The CBBE model is a framework for brand awareness many marketing scholars and practitioners still use widely.

Keller’s model shows that brand awareness is pyramidal — from identity to resonance, where consumers have a sufficiently good brand experience and are ready for it.

The CBBE model declares that brand awareness consists of four components: salience, performance, imagery, and identity. 

1. Salience refers to the consumer’s ability to recall the brand when exposed to it. 
2. Performance directs to the consumer’s beliefs about the brand’s attributes and benefits. 
3. Imagery refers to the consumer’s mental pictures of the brand. 
4. Resonance refers to the consumer’s own self-image and how it relates to the brand. 
5. Judgments are about the opinions that people form about your brand. This could be good, like if someone considers your products reliable or handy. Or it could be detrimental, as in somebody judging them as cheap or ineffective.
6. Feelings cover how people feel about your brand. According to Keller’s brand equity model, there are six positive brand feelings that companies should be aspiring to:

• Warmth
• Fun
• Excitement
• Security
• Social approval
• Self-respect

The CBBE model is a valid and reliable measure of brand awareness. It is a helpful tool for researchers and marketers who want to understand how consumers perceive and remember brands.

Over to You

Brand awareness is a powerful concept that can majorly impact your marketing efforts, consumer perception, and revenue.

Follow these techniques to establish and build brand awareness. You’ll find a loyal audience that recognizes your brand among competitors, chooses your products repeatedly, and recommends their friends and family do the same.

Which direction should you take with your visual branding?

Get a very clear overview of your business’s visual identity needs here:

• Group 1- Brand Design 1: How To Brand a Youthful, Open, and Happy Business
• Group 2- Brand Design 2: How To Brand an Elegant, Feminine Business
• Group 3- Brand Design 3: How To Style an Earthy, Community-Focused Business
• Group 4- Brand Design 4: How To Brand a High-End, Luxury Business

Last Updated on 05/03/2025 by Victoria Silber