Building Brand Awareness

Companies and every single marketing effort made by it, are under the microscope of the world like never before as they make every effort to place themselves in a competitive advantage. Consumers are no longer making decisions solely based on pricing or product. They need to know what a brand identity stands for, and see a high-quality level of work being done to achieve those goals. A global study conducted by Accenture Strategy stated in its metrics that “nearly 30,000 consumers found that 62 percent of customers want companies to take a stand on current and broadly relevant issues like sustainability, transparency or fair employment practices.”

More recently, we’ve seen more influencers speaking out negatively about the wastage that comes with receiving PR packages gifted without confirmation from the influencer. On the flip side of this, we’re seeing how brands are more vocal about their sustainability efforts, and influencers are shifting their views on partnerships to make sure that their values align with the higher quality efforts to build a brand awareness strategy that some brands have. Unfortunately, we live in a time of “greenwashing” as well, so sometimes it isn’t as easy to separate the real from the faux in some social media campaigns, or for that matter any marketing channel.

Greenwashing

What is greenwashing? Simply put, greenwashing is when a brand name or company puts forward a “positive” statement in regards to their environmental efforts without actually making any changes. Companies do this to make it seem like they’re speaking to an issue, when in reality, they’re looking to appease consumers and place themselves on the “right side” of the situation.

Green-washed products use ambiguous eco-friendly terminology and content marketing to strategically make themselves more appealing to their target audience. In return, consumers purchase these products although they have been misled by the green initiatives and symbols that champion these claims made by companies.  Many brands also try to chase trending topics like sustainability without making sure they are truly involved in this messaging. Social media channels are of course often a way users can expose these issue.

Where do we go from here?

Sustainability has reached a tipping point. Brands are starting to realize their overall growth depends on it. As consumers are choosing more eco-conscious lifestyles, they’re also challenging brands, even ones that may be household names by now — especially those that claim to advocate for sustainability in their company values — to reexamine their methods. Even small businesses are held to a closer look than they might have been in the past and so awareness of your brand is a key part of any company’s strategy, across all demographics.

Ultimately, the key takeaway here is that we’re seeing a huge shift in the ways in which they utilize influencers to reach and appeal to their target audiences as well. The days of one-off influencer marketing partnerships are over. Brands are working beyond just finding new audiences, but instead to create exclusive, long-term partnerships with influencers to fit into their overall marketing strategy. As they know, existing consumers and new customers alike are more likely to support a product that they see an influencer promote for an extended period of time.

As consumers across the globe are exercising their power and demanding that changes are made, we’re seeing a shift in the overall brand-influencer-consumer relationship across all social media platforms. Environmental concerns continue to rise globally, and younger consumers (Gen Zers + Millennials) are collectively more conscious than any other group. As they continue to demand transparency and accessibility, we’ll wait and see how brands continue to communicate and execute their stance on relevant issues and connect with consumers in a more purposeful way.  From Snapchat to TikTok, Instagram to Facebook, brand recognition and word-of-mouth approval is more than just a hashtag, it is strongly led by the depths of its social media posts and overall presence among consumers in channels ranging from podcasts to search engine or email marketing.

Contact Takumi today for more information on brand awareness marketing, brand awareness campaign examples and more.