top of mind awareness

Definition

The first brand that comes to mind when a consumer thinks of a particular product category. It's the ultimate marketing achievement: occupying mental real estate rent-free.

Example Usage

We achieved top of mind awareness in our category, meaning when people thought 'overpriced coffee,' they thought of us first.

Origin

Brand awareness measurement from advertising research in the 1960s

Fun Fact

Top of mind awareness is so valuable that brands like Google and Xerox actually fought against becoming generic verbs, fearing it would weaken their trademark protection despite being the ultimate compliment.

Source: Brand tracking and advertising research methodology

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