Brand awareness shouldn’t be mistaken for brand success

Think about five brands on the top of your head. Why do they pop up in your mind? Is it because you’ve actually bought from them, or is it because you’ve just seen them around?

Brand recall is often mistaken for success. You’ll hear brand awareness strategies tossed around like buzzwords, often because the metrics are ‘loose’ and an easy sell to clients who fear the repercussions of not pushing for sales. But here’s the kicker: awareness doesn’t guarantee you’ll be chosen.

The gap is subtle but significant. You can promote who you are endlessly, but if your brand doesn’t resonate with people on a deeper, emotional level, if it doesn’t speak to their needs and desires, your message falls flat. That’s where many brands miss the mark. They go too hard on the sales pitch without considering relevance – and relevance is everything.

Relevance is why brands evolve. It’s not just a nice-to-have, it’s a necessity. The brands that thrive are the ones that adapt to meet their audience where they are, now, not where they want them to be tomorrow. Without this, they risk becoming irrelevant and being overtaken by competitors who are listening more closely.

But what does relevance really mean in practice?

Let’s start with a reality check: You can’t afford to be tone-deaf. A brand must have a social compass – it must understand what people are saying, feeling and doing in the world. If you’re not actively listening, if you’re not tracking the mood and emotions of your audience, you’ll miss the mark. Just look at Jaguar – once a respected brand, it appears to have veered off-course, focusing too much on futuristic technology instead of meeting consumers where they’re at today. The result? It lost touch with the very people who made it successful in the first place.

Now, let’s get to the heart of it – emotions. We often shy away from talking about feelings in marketing, but here’s the truth: emotion sells. People don’t just remember products; they remember the stories that make them feel something. Whether it’s joy, nostalgia, or a sense of belonging, emotions are powerful drivers of purchase decisions. Leading brands understand this – they know that relevance isn’t just about what you’re selling, it’s about how you make people feel. But for many, this has either become an afterthought or, worse, a forgotten strategy.

Lastly, let’s talk about the pitfall of trying to speak to everyone. Some brands fall into this trap, thinking they need to appeal to the masses. The result? A watered-down message that fails to connect with anyone on a meaningful level. In trying to please everyone, these brands lose their edge and fail to make the emotional connection necessary for loyalty.

It’s understandable, given the current climate of cancel culture, but the truth is: if you can read the room, tap into the right emotions, and find your tribe, your brand won’t just be known, it will be chosen. And that’s the real victory.

So, when it comes to your brand, ask yourself: Is it being seen, or is it being felt? Because in today’s crowded marketplace, only those that resonate emotionally will win the hearts (and wallets) of their audience.

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