Most people would quickly identify Disney’s opening theme song. Or the phrase, Just Do It.

But why?

Put simply, brand recognition is the ability for people to identify (or recognize) your brand through sensory cues.

A jingle or audio cue, a tagline, a smell, or an image sparks something in their mind that reminds them of you.

The cultural phenomenon and wildly successful show from the 90s “Friends” used the purple door to help viewers quickly identify the show while changing channels.

Smart move from production designer, John Shaffner, as it became a 90s’ icon.

In this article, we’re discussing what brand recognition is, how it triggers memories of brand experience and how it increases brand awareness.

Memory Level 1 – Brand Awareness

Refers to the share of the market that’s aware of your brand; they know who you are and what you do. Brand awareness is crucial for recognition. If people don’t know you exist, there won’t be a trigger effective enough to make them recognize you.

Memory Level 2 – Brand Recognition

Refers to the moment your brand is recognized when the audience experiences a visceral cue that triggers the senses — like the purple door, a snappy tagline or a unique logo.

You have to be aware the brand exists before you can recognize it.

Memory Level 3 – Brand Recall

Ability to recall a specific brand when prompted, not with a visceral trigger like an image or a sound, but with the specific industry or market category. A brand that can be recalled through its category has a shot of being in the mix at the buying decision.

You have to recognize a brand before you can recall it.

Household names tend to be first in line for brand recall. For example, If I say “Cola”, you’ll probably think of Coca-Cola or Pepsi before any other brand.

Memory Level 4 – Brand Salience

The holy grail of brand memorability. Salience is the level of presence of the brand in the customer’s mind specifically during the buying decision.

If a brand is present in the mind of the audience in the buying decision, it has a very high chance of purchase.

The higher the brand salience, the higher the chance of getting a sale.

14 Strategies For Building Brand Awareness

Next, we’re going to dive into how to boost your brand awareness and earn brand recognition.

1. Know Your Audience

Casting a wide net won’t get you any more recognition than focusing on a strategically defined audience. 

Many first-time entrepreneurs believe the wider they cast their net the more likely they are to be recognized which may be a fair assumption.

But in most cases, the opposite is true and brands have a better chance of success by honing in on a segment of the market rather than spreading too thin trying to appeal to everyone.

Part of knowing your audience is also discovering where they are.

Do they use the major social media networks?

Will you find them on YouTube?

Use these insights to craft a content strategy that’ll help you get in front of the right eyes and ears.