What is meant by being Brand Conscious? How to target such customers?

The concept of Brand Conscious can be defined as the awareness of the brand and it’s products offerings that are quite distinctive from the other brands in the market having a competitive advantage. It is more about the image and perception of the brand that the company wants to create it in the industry and in the minds of the targeted customers. The Brand Conscious Company is very concerned about what people and the overall industry thinks about its name and products.      

Definition of a Brand Conscious customer :

 The customer who is Brand Conscious is someone who prefers to indulge in the purchase of the specific line of products from the brands that are very famous and have a distinguished name and fame in the market as compared to its contemporaries.

Why are customers getting Brand Conscious nowadays?

1. Over the last decade, the customers especially the youth in the age bracket of 15 to 35 years have been exposed to the facets of digital marketing and social media that have increased their level of awareness and knowledge not only about the local brands but the international ones as well. The power of digitization has provided great impetus to the business of online shopping and young customers prefer to buy from any famous brand from across the globe without having a glitch to pay a higher price as they want the name of the brand attached to their lifestyle and personality plus it works as a factor of style statement.
2. The Brand Conscious customers are quite sticklers for the realms of quality and they prefer to buy the products that are high on the levels of quality and follow the motto quality over quantity. For example, a young boy in the early twenties is Brand Conscious in nature and prefers to buy a shirt from a company that sells branded shirts but at a little higher price rather than buying 2 pair of shirts from the company that does not offer quality products and doesn’t have a very good brand image in the market, even though its price range is lower as compared to the former brand.
3. The company who targets Brand Conscious customers have huge and surplus budgets in hand resulting in not only offering high-end and qualitative products but get the famous celebrities onboard as their brand ambassadors and influencers that attract attention from the Brand Conscious customers, especially the young generation.
4. As discussed in the above point, the companies have huge budgets in their kitty and spend considerable amounts on the marketing and promotional activities including the optimal mix of traditional media such as prints advertisements, television commercials, and hoardings at premium locations in the target locations along with the usage of latest media channels such as social media, content marketing, blogging, online banner ads, Google promotions, and more.
5. The product line of these companies is quite attractive and impressive in the design and aesthetic part. For example, a college girl will prefer to buy clothes from a branded company to get labeled as a style icon in the college and within her social circle.
6. Many a time, it is also a case of status, class, and to fit in within an affluent group of peers and contemporaries that makes the customers Brand Conscious giving them a feeling that they have arrived in life by indulging in the purchase of branded products.

Examples of companies with Brand Conscious customers :

1) Zara

The Spanish fashion retail brand Zara has been taking over the market share of its contemporary brands all across the world as today’s young generation is quite aware and conscious about its product offerings that range from apparels, bags, perfumes, accessories, shoes, and more that are high on quality, class, and design plus the brand has carved a niche for itself by staying astute on the objectives of quality, durability, and fashion aesthetics. The brand has a knack to target its Brand Conscious customers in a strategic manner.

2) L’Oreal

The cosmetic giant L’Oreal has the cash registers ringing by having a global domination in the related industry by offering novel and innovative products. The brand has the likes of celebrities such as Blake Lively, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Sonam Kapoor, Jane Fonda, and Julianne More amongst others as its brand ambassadors that work as a pull factor for the target audience that is young and middle-aged women.

How to target Brand Conscious customers?

1) Focus on quality

The Brand Conscious customers do not look at the price tag of the product but are the label readers, fact checkers, and are the cynosures of quality and sheer class. Hence, it is crucial for the brand to have a detailed focus on the aims and objectives of quality and being consistent on the same in order to attract and target the Brand Conscious customers.

2) Define the age-group of the target audience

It is not possible for the high-end and luxury brand to appeal to the entire target market and customers. Its audience will be limited in nature and hence, it has to figure and define the age-group of its target customers and weave the marketing and promotional strategies accordingly that works as the pull factor.

3) Hire a celebrity brand ambassador

Hiring a celebrity brand ambassador is one of the best marketing and promotional tactic opted by the Brand Conscious companies as this technique attracts a lot of attention from not only the target audience but also from the contemporaries and overall industry as well. It also enhances the brand value as the brand is now associated with another celebrity brand. It is one of the most common promotional and branding trends in today’s dynamic market as the brands are facing tough competition due to the volatile nature of the business and the evolving tastes of the customers.

4) Create an emotional connection

Buying branded products provides intangible benefits such as a feeling of status, class, affluence, and a sense of arrival in life with the certain vibe of accomplishment. Hence, the brands need to plan and design the marketing and promotional campaigns plus provide the excellent and finest levels of customer service and overall experience by creating an emotional connection with the customers.