Brand awareness problems: one of the most common reasons for rebranding. Let's explore some of the most common awareness problems that we deal with on a day-to-day basis when discussing with our clients.
Naturally, brand awareness takes many shapes. Any company that has been in business for any amount of time has some facet of awareness in its particular marketplace. But what type of awareness? Important questions to consider:
- Is is the right kind of awareness?
- What is the market’s impression of you?
- Do targets understand the breadth of your company’s capabilities?
Let’s consider some of the various awareness problems your brand might be going through.
Unaware
Of course, your company’s current clients and vendors are aware of you. That’s not exactly what we’re speaking about here. However, if your goal is to increase business over the course of the year, you might be interested in increasing your awareness among your target audience. If you aren’t a household name, there’s room for improvement.
Real World Example
UGG Australia. Yes, those boots that girls have been awkwardly tucking their jeans into since 2007. I bet you didn’t realize that brand has been around since 1982. Repositioning yourself within your marketplace can go a long way for your success. Market tipping points in favor of your products don’t hurt either. Just sayin’.
Unfavorable Awareness
It’s never a position a company or brand foresees themselves being in, alas - it happens. Whether this negative press was deserved or not, it must be dealt with, and a rebranding effort is a great way to shift this unfavorable awareness problem concerning your company into a favorable one.
Real World Example
The old Microsoft brand = old. dying. boring. broken. not innovative. slow.
The new Microsoft brand:
Summary: New Microsoft brand = not any of those things. A successful rebrand to say the least! We’ll see if this helps increase their bottom line over the next 12 months. For the time being, however, they’ve done an amazing job at recapturing the attention of the Millenials (aka, Generation Y), which has been a historically difficult feat for marketing teams to muster.
Limited Awareness
The most common issue with awareness that companies face is the issue of limited awareness. This comes into play when your business model shifts or you add a new capability. You’re going to need to shift your communication. The market needs to understand what you do now and why it matters to them!
Solving Brand Awareness Problems
When an organization seeks to solve its brand awareness problems, they typically fall into four separate categories. These solutions can be found in our next blog post - so stay tuned!
