Marketing Research and Insight Glossary

Definitions, common uses and explanations of 1,500+ key market research terms and phrases.

What is Awareness?

Research Topics:
Advertising Effectiveness | Brand/Image Tracking | Brand Positioning Studies
Industry/Market Focus:
Advertising Agencies | Business-To-Business
Content Type:
Glossary
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Awareness Definition

The measure of the proportion of people who are familiar with a product, brand name or trademark. There are two main measures of awareness: spontaneous (or unaided) and prompted (or aided) awareness.

In marketing research, awareness is the amount of recognition and familiarity that brands, products or services have among a target audience, levels of which illustrates the impact that marketing campaigns and perceptions have on a particular project. While it measures the extent of customer knowledge about a product and what features it brings to the marketplace, it shows shortfalls in communications, its competitors and its growth potential.

Who relies on awareness?

Entities like marketing research companies, marketers, product managers and advertisers rely on awareness measures so they can determine how well their products are known in the marketplace. What’s more, the findings can be used to identify opportunities for growth and improvement.

Why should I care about awareness?

Awareness provides valuable insights into the effectiveness of marketing campaigns and brand perception. It helps identify gaps in communication, areas for expansion and the competitive landscape. Without a solid foundation of awareness, other aspects of market research, such as customer preferences and purchasing behaviors, can't be accurately understood