Don’t get overly excited about this one
If you follow this blog, you know by now that increased awareness of a brand does not ensure increased sales of that brand. For a recent example, consider that as the awareness and popularity of Taco Bell’s spokesdoggy soared, sales plummeted. For an older example, consider that most people my age still fondly recall Alka-Seltzer’s “I can’t believe I ate the whole thing” campaign, which happened to drive sales down. And, as I have mentioned before, even Edsel continues to enjoy top-of-mind awareness.
But sometimes a mere surge in brand awareness will indeed spark sales all by itself. The latest example? Thanks to Mitt Romney advisor Eric Fehrnstrom’s likening his boss to the Etch A Sketch toy, Etch A Sketch sales have (reportedly) increased.
Confirmation bias-embracing ad agencies will doubtless try to use this as “proof” of the value of name recognition alone. Don’t be fooled; it proves no such thing. But as anecdotes go, it’s an enjoyable one.
—Steve Cuno