Why brand awareness is a key element for any start-up?

As an agency, we work mainly with big brands. Such cooperation ensures stability, market awareness, and an informed team with large knowledge of past trends.

However, sometimes I love that we interact with start-ups. Great specialists, not in the field of marketing and communication strategy but with expert knowledge on renewable energy sources and roasting coffee beans. We start with a blank slate, creating things from scratch. 

They come to us with a different set of knowledge for the requirement to create identification and communication of their brand. They are at the stage of delight (like people in love) and are full of passion. However, they are not always aware that building a brand is a process in which you need to get strongly involved.

You can't just toss statements like – “we want the logo in the color of our car because we like it”.

To find its place in the already developed competition market, a brand should create awareness. Be visible, say hello, present your strengths, and outline your competences. Most importantly, it must stand out to be noticed. It doesn’t have to be the most beautiful or the smartest, but it needs to have something ‘special’: a unique character and a specific target.

Therefore, at the beginning of the road you need to ask yourself the key questions: What - your result, How - your process, Why - your purpose, and then to whom?

For someone to have a chance to buy something from us or use our services, they need to know that we exist. We can’t expect sales results without building brand awareness, our offer, or building reach. It's like burning coffee seeds at home and being surprised that no one but neighbors and friends buys coffee from us.

But those young people who came to us with the subject of guidance creating a coffee brand for them and developing a brand communication strategy turned out to be extremely prepared for their business. I admit that for the first time in my career I have been so wonderfully briefed. They captivated me with passion, their grasp on numbers, and the knowledge with how they talk about their future brand. The steps they took, the awareness of how they work, no rush, tests, surveys are commendable. They know perfectly well that to create a brand it is not enough to have a product, but there must be a story behind it, the reason why customers should choose their brand.

"Determine who you are and what your brand is, and what you're not. The rest of it is just a lot of noise.” – Geoffrey Zakarian 

Unfortunately, we have to admit that young ones with coffee brands are unique in terms of understanding the importance of brand marketing. Usually, apart from working on the brand, the agency has to educate the client. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it, but it is a difficult process, which is often accompanied by frustrations, the emotional attachment of the creators, the lack of a wider view. This requires the agency to skillfully share the knowledge without putting the client in an uncomfortable situation - but also to be resolved enough that the solutions worked out together are really good and help in achieving success.

Introducing our potential customers to a product or service really matters, because with brand awareness it’s just as with meeting people, first impressions count.

For an agency like us, that loves good design and keeps up with the latest trends, start-ups are a chance to show off creativity. We have no corporate brand books that we have to stick to, nor habits, restrictions. We have a blank slate. This is a great thing, but also a huge responsibility. How we present the brand for the first time will affect its image for a long time or even forever. 

We as an agency also have to work on our reputation, or maybe we above all, because we must set a good example. It is not easy to look at your brand or your product from a distance. Especially when you're a creator or founder. That’s why we should trust specialists. We don't have to know everything, let's be good in our profession and let others do their job to make your vision into a reality!