One of the most popular goals in digital marketing is brand awareness or brand lift. The brand awareness objective is available on most digital marketing advertising platforms. Tracking results for this goal is trickier than for e-commerce or conversion goals, because those results are clear and easy to see — simply, if the campaign brings sales, we can say it’s successful. But for awareness campaigns, how is success measured? Of course, there are ways to do this. Let’s review them together.

What is Brand Awareness?

In digital marketing, the meaning is the same as the word itself: brand awareness refers to familiarity and recognition. For example, when choosing a battery for a device, or buying a laptop, smartphone, or car, why do certain brands come to mind first? This is all connected to brand awareness. As is easy to notice, awareness and trust are not easily earned. Even with price advantages, people may hesitate to try unfamiliar brands. In short, brand awareness is about customer and potential customer perceptions of a brand.

Why is Digital Marketing Important for Brand Awareness?

Brand awareness targets how people think about brands. It doesn’t need to drive a direct action like clicking a website or making a purchase. That’s why outdoor or TV advertising — where people simply see the advertisement— is still very important and effective for awareness. Also, because the entry barrier is higher for outdoor or TV ads, this can create stronger perception.

Still, digital marketing is one of the best ways to increase brand awareness and comes with advantages such as:

• Targeting: Digital marketing platforms provide detailed targeting options like interests, demographics, keywords, and more.
  
  

• Retargeting: With user consent, previously seen content can be targeted again to increase brand recall.
  
  

• Brand Lift Studies: Most digital advertising platforms offer polls or questionnaires after a certain budget threshold for free. These insights show how well awareness campaigns perform.
  
  

• Supporting Other Campaigns: Most brands also run performance-based sales campaigns. Strong awareness campaigns can indirectly increase sales by improving familiarity and trust.
  
  

• Budget-Friendly: Even with $100, it’s possible to run brand awareness campaigns and achieve a high number of impressions.
  
  

• Continued Relationship: Platforms like YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, or LinkedIn can help build long-term relationships, as brand awareness campaigns can also increase followers.

Tips for Digital Marketing on Brand Awareness

Although brand awareness campaigns do not focus on conversions or direct actions, several points are worth considering:

Brand Message, Positioning, and Differentiation

Many brands are competing for attention, so having a clear position and differentiation is key. Without a strong message, even with a high budget, increasing brand awareness will be difficult. Consistency is also important; without reinforcement, people forget. This is why even well-known brands continue brand awareness efforts with large budgets.

Using Different Platforms

Brands should consider multiple platforms to reach potential customers. For example, some people spend more time on social media — social advertising works well for them. Others prefer reading news websites, where Google Display Network (GDN) can be a good choice.

Checking Performance

As mentioned earlier, brand awareness results can be measured using brand lift studies on digital platforms. These tests provide valuable feedback about campaign results.

Consider Reach & Frequency / Reserved Campaigns Instead of Auction

For goals like traffic, conversions, or engagement, auction campaigns are often best. But for brand awareness, reach and frequency or reserved campaigns are also available on most platforms (if not visible, contacting the platform to get whitelisted may be needed).

The key difference between auction and reserved campaigns is the level of control. With reserved campaigns, advertisers can control reach and frequency better. For example, if the goal is to highlight a message multiple times to the same user, reserved campaigns allow this predictably. Reserved campaigns offer more predictable results, showing close alignment between reach, impressions, and spending.

However, reserved campaigns are commitments — once booked, they’re difficult or impossible to adjust or refund. It’s similar to making and paying for a reservation. In contrast, auction campaigns can be paused or adjusted at any time.

Brand Awareness Test Studies on Digital Advertising Platforms

Here are some helpful resources from major digital advertising platforms. Advertisers can check question examples, minimum budget requirements, and tips for more precise results:

• Meta

• TikTok

• Google

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