The $4billion question
But they are Nike.
In 2024 they spent roughly $4.3 billion on marketing and advertising, which they call "demand creation". Spend that kind of money then you’ve got to hope you would be recognised.
Unsurprisingly, there aren’t many brands who have that kind of money to spend. Newer brands may see recognition rates closer to 30% to 50%. And if we move to brand recall (this is unaided awareness - how many people would name your brand without a prompt) thesefigures drop even further to around 5% to 15%.
In the past, I’ve worked with very large international law firms and architecture firms who were struggling with next to 0% brand recall (unaided awareness). We moved them up considerably from this point, but more on how we did it later.
More than aware
If these low figures for brand awareness seem bad, what about the meaning of a brand?
We know that brand purpose has been popular over recent years, and there are brands such as Patagonia, Ben & Jerry’s and The Body Shop who have put a lot of time and effort into doing the right thing. But even these brands, who are at the top of their game in terms of meaning something to people, only saw 18% of consumers in the three countries surveyed (UK, US, Australia) recognise the purpose of the 14 brands studied (which included Patagonia, Ben & Jerry’s and The Body Shop).
Just think about that. 18% of people knew what these brands – who have been very vocal in their brand purpose – actually stood for. What chance do smaller or less socially engaged brands have?
Maximising your chances
So what should marketers do in order to maximise their chances of being known (which is the first step towards making a sale). Marketers should think about their brand like their customers – meaning no-one knows them, no-one remembers them and no-one cares about them.
This is what we mean when we say you should treat every day like a new beginning. Every day, wake up and think that no-one knows you, no-one remembers you, and no-one cares if you exist.
It is your job to ensure you are bringing your brand to the front of their mind.
The Nike example
Let’s go back to Nike spending all that money.
Why they have been successful is they don’t sit back and rest on their laurels. Every single day they assume you have never heard of Nike. Every single day they are putting the Nike swoosh in front of your eyeballs.
On TV screens, on the sides of buses, on digital screens, on bus shelters, on shop fronts, on clothing being worn by people walking down the street, on your phone, on sports teams shirts, on the sides of buildings, in your own house!
And, more than the logo, just think in your life how many times you have seen and heard the line ‘Just Do It’. From in-person conversations to TV adverts, press adverts to publicity, phone screens to computer screens. It has been seared in our collective consciousness. And how did they do this?
Repetition. Repetition. Repetition.
Brand is simple
Brand at its most simplistic is two things – identity and meaning. How do people identify your brand, and once they have identified it what does it mean to them?
Ensure you’re identified
Every day marketers should wake up and think about how their brand is being identified. What are the Distinctive Brand Assets or Brand Codes of your brand? And importantly, are they currently being used in ways that will attract attention from their audience? It’s not as simple as ‘making the logo bigger’, although sometimes that is needed.
Think about the lead ways your brand is identified. If you have phone lines, one of the major points your brand comes into contact with your audience is the people on your phones. It’s not simply advertising that shapes your brand. Although of course this has a big role in communication.
Create an ecosystem of every way your brand is experienced by your consumer or client. Draw it out on a piece of paper and join up every moment with another. Then you need to invest in these channels in order to bring your brand in front of the eyeballs of your audience.
Decide what you want to be known for
Once you’ve worked out how you are being identified by your audience, then you need to ensure you are being known for what you would want to be known for.
I hate to do this, but I’m going to use Donald Trump as an example of something good (I know, I know).
His creation of a tagline ‘Make America Great Again’ has been one of the most successful political slogans in modern history.
- It’s emotional – acts as a "compelling story" that resonates with voters who feel left behind.
- It’s simple – it’s a concise, memorable, and easily adaptable phrase, both to say and to shorten (MAGA)
- It’s versatile – It effectively conveys multiple themes, including "America First" policies, immigration control, and economic nationalism, allowing supporters to project their own desires onto it.
Like the previous Nike example, within his audience this line is everywhere. Primarily on those red hats. But it is through repetition that it has stuck. On peoples heads and in people heads.
Treat every day like a new beginning
Brand owners need to never rest on their laurels. Wake up every morning assuming that not only does no-one know your brand, no-one remembers your brand, and no-one cares about your brand.
Start with this thought every day and you'll be in the best place – your customers mind.
