Brand Recognition

Brand recognition refers to the ability of consumers to recognize and identify a specific brand. Brand recognition is typically considered successful when consumers are able to recognize a brand without explicitly being exposed to its name, but merely to visual or auditory cues such as logos, packaging, or jingles. Similarly, brand recall is the ability to recall a brand without any specific cues at all.

Brand recognition is one of two components of brand awareness. The other component is brand recall. Brand recognition is exactly what it sounds like: the ability of a consumer to recognize one brand over other brands. In other words, it’s the ability of consumers to identify your product by its attributes and design elements. Design elements include such things as shape, colour, illustrations, and graphics.

Companies routinely conduct market research to determine the degree to which their brand gets recognized by consumers and develop strategies and campaigns aimed at increasing brand recognition. Together with brand recall, brand recognition is one of the many components of brand awareness.

Brand recognition requires the consumer to recall prior knowledge. To build brand recognition, an organization must repeatedly provide consumers with a consistent visual or auditory learning experience. Consider the case of television advertising. A brand who spends millions of dollars on a single television commercial during the Super Bowl may be forgotten weeks after the game. However, a brand which uses a Super Bowl commercial to reinforce a years-long advertising campaign will have higher brand recognition.

Brand recognition is developed by reach, frequency and consistency. A useful tactic in advertising is for a brand to develop a campaign around a concept or a character.

Examples include the “Can you hear me now?” campaign from Verizon. The Verizon commercials featured the same “Test Man,” who would test wireless coverage by asking callers on the other end if they could hear him. Other examples include “Flo,” a fictional salesperson who represents Progressive Insurance and the GEICO Gecko, a fictional reptile who helps sell car insurance.

Effectiveness of Brand Recognition

If brand recognition is done correctly, your product should be recognized even without using its name. The goal is to get potential customers to recognize the product instantly without requiring much effort. For example, can you think of the name of a restaurant that is symbolized by golden arches or a computer company identified by a particular fruit? In fact, companies will often engage in market research in order to test brand recognition.

Brand Recognition and the Problem of Counterfeit Goods

Even after you have developed strong brand recognition, the battle is not over. You still have to worry about counterfeit goods, often called knockoffs or fakes. The classic example is a street vendor peddling knockoff expensive watches to unsuspecting tourists. You can combat counterfeit goods through the use of patents and trademarks and then vigorously pursue those that infringe upon your brand through court action.

Strategies:

• Customers tend to remember brands that reach them on a personal or emotional level, so a company may use a unique, touching, or heartfelt story that lets customers know why it’s in business.
• Another way to build and maintain brand recognition is to provide exemplary customer service. Customers are more likely to recommend and buy products from a company they believe values their patronage.
• Businesses should also aim to exceed their customers’ expectations and educate them at the same time. Being known as an expert in a certain field or being able to relate to customers and how they use the products and services they buy goes a long way in ensuring brand loyalty. One way to accomplish this is through app development, email newsletters, or blogs that ensure new and existing customers keep your company in mind first.
• Small businesses and large companies can use social media to make sure their names, products, and services are in constant circulation. Of course, a company’s logo or visual theme should be used in all communications.