Salience Effect: Beyond Brand Salience
Salience is something that has been used for years in marketing techniques. The salience bias is when people tend to focus on items or information that is more noteworthy or unique than those that don’t grab attention. This makes sense if you think about it. With bottles on the shelf that all look the same, your attention will immediately go to the bottle that stands out like a sore thumb.
Salience is something that has been used for years in marketing techniques. The salience bias is when people tend to focus on items or information that is more noteworthy or unique than those that don’t grab attention. This makes sense if you think about it. With bottles on the shelf that all look the same, your attention will immediately go to the bottle that stands out like a sore thumb. This is great news for brands because that means being unique will help your revenue and reputation. You do this by advertising your product/service as standing out from competition through offering something that they lack and/or design your product so it is visually striking. So, why does this happen? Let’s take a closer look. It arises from contrast between things and their surroundings. It develops as a result of psychological cognitive ease as we become accustomed to our day to day interactions. Think about it like this, you don’t pay attention to the smells around you until you smell something that brings you back to your childhood. It can also come up as something draws us toward a specific aspect of the world. This can be apparent with someone who works in the advertising world and notices catchy and creative ads on billboards while driving. Someone who isn’t in the industry probably wouldn’t notice them unless they’re very striking. No matter what industry you are in, it’s important that you grab the attention of the consumer immediately. Be the brand that stands out as unique from all the rest to harness the power of the salience effect.
Brand Salience
When I say Nike, you think… we’re pretty sure the image that came to mind was the iconic Nike swoosh. This is a prime example of brand salience. It sounds similar to brand awareness but they are different. Brand awareness focuses on measuring overall visibility during the entire customer journey. Salience is a measure of awareness during the actual purchasing decision. The Nike swoosh might come to top of mind when you want a new pair of kicks. So, how do brands increase their salience?
When I say Nike, you think… we’re pretty sure the image that came to mind was the iconic Nike swoosh. This is a prime example of brand salience. It sounds similar to brand awareness but they are different. Brand awareness focuses on measuring overall visibility during the entire customer journey. Salience is a measure of awareness during the actual purchasing decision. The Nike swoosh might come to top of mind when you want a new pair of kicks. So, how do brands increase their salience?
1. Tap into emotions: emotion creates a long-term memory. People often buy based on emotion and not logic. UGC found content advertising is a great way to tap into this.
2. Create memorable branding: memorable images, ads, etc. Uniqueness will make you stand out from the competitors and staying true to your mission.
3. Expand awareness: brand awareness intersects brand salience. Expanding your brand reach is important to gaining new customers to increase salience.
4. Consistency is key: use newsletter, digital ads, commercials, social media marketing, etc. Getting your brand out into the world often means more eyes on it more often.
5. Constantly test and improve: you only stop growing when you stop learning. It’s important to use this mindset in business. The more your brand tests campaigns through Google analytics, surveys and revenue, the more you will understand what works and what doesn’t. this will ensure that you get the right material in front of your audience that will resonate with them on a deeper level.
With fierce competition everywhere, if your brand masters salience it will come to mind first during purchasing decisions. It’s an important factor for brand success In order to become a household name.