The concept of moving through a journey or stages is deeply rooted in marketing theory and consumer behavior studies.
This is a comprehensive and academically rigorous overview of the Stages of Awareness.
Original: Hierarchy of Effects Model
The foundational model, often called the "Hierarchy of Effects," was developed by Robert J. Lavidge and Gary A. Steiner in their seminal 1961 paper. This model is expanded into various advanced interpretations which you might find valuable for an in-depth academic perspective, otherwise I recommend you to skip to Eugen Schwartz’s model.
Lavidge and Steiner's model presents these stages as a linear process through which a consumer moves from ignorance to purchase:
- Awareness: Consumer knows of the product but lacks details.
- Knowledge: Consumer understands what the product does.
- Liking: Consumer forms a favorable opinion of the product.
- Preference: Consumer prefers the product over others.
- Conviction: Consumer believes the product is beneficial and suitable.
- Purchase: Consumer buys the product.
Advanced Awareness Models and Frameworks
Various adaptations and expansions of this “Pre-Connectivity Period aka before-the-interwebs Model” have been developed since, to fit different contexts, such as online consumer behavior, services marketing, and social media engagement.
Some of these include the AIDA Model (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action), which emphasizes the attention-grabbing stage before moving through interest and desire, leading to action (purchase). It's particularly relevant in advertising and online marketing.
The Think-Feel-Do Model model aligns cognitive (think), affective (feel), and behavioral (do) responses to marketing, useful in emotional branding and customer engagement strategies.
Developed by McKinsey, the Customer Decision Journey (CDJ) model presents a non-linear path that incorporates active evaluation and post-purchase experience, reflecting the dynamic ways consumers interact with brands and products in the digital age.
REAN (Reach, Engage, Activate, Nurture) focuses on the touchpoints in digital marketing, emphasizing ongoing customer engagement and retention alongside acquisition.
The possibilities and disruption of the “Digital age” has made “both researchers and management practitioners to look at the hierarchical framework from a different perspective” (Chakravarty and Sarma 2022). You are no longer just buying advertisement placement from a newspaper that calls you up. Meaning the effectiveness and limitations of each model have dramatically shifted since, both in digital versus traditional media as well as in different market contexts, such as B2B versus B2C. And it is now up to you to critically analyze how these models can be integrated into comprehensive marketing strategies that leverage your data analytics, your customer relationship management (CRM) tools, and your digital marketing tactics.
But what hasn’t changed is human psychology.
And with research fields like behavioral economics and consumer psychology our understanding has dramatically improved.
The Hierarchy of Effects model offers several benefits:
The Hierarchy of Effects model provides a clear structure for campaigns. Teams have an outline based on consumer psychology, saving them time in developing successful campaigns.
These models take customers through an entire nurturing process, they are likely to form a connection with the brand and its products, helping to understand brand loyalty. They are advanced strategies in that they approach the sale of a product or service through well-developed, persuasive advertising messages designed to build brand awareness over time.
These models describes how advertising affects consumers’ behavior and leads to the transition from not knowing a product or brand to liking it and finally making the action to purchase.
By understanding and addressing the psychological triggers and barriers at each level of the hierarchy, marketers and salespeople can optimize their campaigns, enhance their messaging, and foster brand loyalty, ultimately leading to increased conversions and improved return on investment.
Your goal should not be to guide your potential customers (prospects)through all stages of the hierarchy:
- Not all your prospects will follow this exact path.
- You don’t want to force a test drive on someone who just wants to buy the car now.
It is “only” a framework to inform your content, copy, creative, etc. to most effectively communicate with your ideal customers or audience member.
So understanding and using the right stages of awareness framework and models allow you to create more targeted campaigns that address the specific needs and knowledge gaps of your prospects at each stage.
This will improve the efficiency of your marketing spend and also enhances the customer experience by providing relevant information and solutions throughout their decision-making process aka customer journey.
Eugene Schwartz’s model serves as such a tool that allows you to dissect and understand market dynamics, strategize effectively, and apply your insights in real-world scenarios.
Eugene Schwartz’s Breakthrough: Awareness-Stages
The stages-of-awareness model is used in marketing to describe the different levels of customer awareness about your product or service.
The framework is foundational for understanding consumer behavior in sales and marketing, forming the basis for developing targeted marketing strategies that align with the psychological state of your ideal customer consumer at various points in their journey toward making a purchase.
The objective of understanding these stages is to tailor your marketing and sales messaging that are aligned with your prospect’s or customer's current state of awareness, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of campaign efforts, conversion rates, and ultimately, customer acquisition and retention.
The stages-of-awareness model has its roots in the work of Eugene Schwartz, a highly influential figure in advertising during the mid-20th century. Schwartz detailed this concept in his book Breakthrough Advertising published in 1966.
Schwartz's model emphasizes how advertising can be tailored to meet the consumer exactly where they are in their awareness and readiness to buy. This nuanced approach helps marketers craft messages that resonate more deeply with potential customers by acknowledging their current level of awareness and leading them towards a purchasing decision.
Schwartz’s model also supports the integration of other marketing models and tools, enhancing our ability to develop comprehensive, effective marketing strategies. But before we do that let’s have a detailed look at each stage, first.
- Unaware: At this initial stage, the potential customer has no knowledge of the product or service. The marketing goal is to create awareness and stir curiosity through broad advertising, engaging content, and possibly through high-impact news or events.
- Problem-Aware: Here, the customer recognizes they have a problem but doesn't know that there are solutions available. The focus of marketing is to connect the problem with potential solutions, often through educational content that links the problem explicitly with the product being marketed.
- Solution-Aware: The customer knows solutions exist but is not aware of your specific product or service. Marketing strategies at this stage involve differentiating your product from competitors and highlighting its unique value propositions.
- Product-Aware: At this stage, the customer is aware of your product but is not yet convinced it is right for them. The strategy shifts towards providing more detailed information about the product, customer testimonials, case studies, and demonstrations of effectiveness.
- Most Aware: In the final stage, the customer knows your product well and just needs a final nudge to make a purchase. Marketing efforts focus on closing the sale with promotions, discounts, or time-sensitive offers that prompt immediate action.
| Stage | Description | Marketing Objective ||
