Unpopular opinions with Christian Barnett: Brand awareness

Let’s just say it, “increase brand awareness” isn’t a well-thought-out objective in a brief. As I said in the video, there are all kinds of completely outrageous ways to get your name out there. Would it be the right type of awareness? I’m not so sure.

It’s probably no surprise that I don’t subscribe to the “any publicity is good publicity” theory of brand marketing. It’s better to specify what quality or type of awareness you want.

Fixing the hole

“Increase the awareness of Penhaligon’s as a timeless scent” isn’t a bad start. It’s very clear what type of awareness is being asked for, and what we might measure: brand awareness in general and perception of Penhaligon’s as a “timeless scent.”

We could get even more specific, and start to even wander into creative idea territory if it was written as:

• Increase awareness of Penhaligon’s as a scent for all eras
• Increase awareness of Penhaligon’s as a scent for all ages (stages of life)
• Increase Penhaligon’s as a scent that’s never been out of style since its origins in the 1860s

You can start to see advertising ideas in these objectives.

And in the end…

When you have clarity around objectives and focus in the brief, the work should come more easily. The direction is clearer, and we know what we want to measure against.

So, the next time you’re tempted to create a brief that says “increase brand awareness,” have a little think to yourself: What type of awareness do I want to create?

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