Top-of-mind awareness
Top-of-mind awareness (TOMA) is a measure of how aware is a consumer of a brand. It is part of consumer behaviour, and is a key aspect of marketing research and marketing communications.
Definitions of top-of-mind awareness
In marketing, "top-of-mind awareness" refers to a brand or specific product being first in customers' minds when thinking of a particular industry or category.[1]
Top-of-mind awareness is defined in Marketing Metrics: "The first brand that comes to mind when a customer is asked an unprompted question about a category. The percentage of customers for whom a given brand is top of mind can be measured."[2]
TOMA has also been defined as "the percent of respondents who, without prompting, name a specific brand or product first when asked to list all the advertisements they recall seeing in a general product category over the past 30 days."[3]
At the market level, top-of-mind awareness is more often defined as the "most remembered" or "most recalled" brand names.[4]
Top-of-mind awareness: uses and applications
Top-of-mind awareness is a special form of brand awareness. Top-of-mind awareness is generally measured by asking consumers open-ended questions about the brand that first comes to mind in a particular category, like a fast-food restaurant (McDonald’s). Market researchers are then able to take this data and turn it into a percentage to figure out who is leading the way in top-of-mind awareness.[5] Companies attempt to build and increase brand awareness[6] using such digital marketing strategies as search engine optimization (SEO), search engine marketing (SEM), social media marketing (SMM), content marketing, and more.[7]
In a survey of nearly 200 senior marketing managers, 50% responded that they found the "top-of-mind" metric very useful.[2]
See also
- Mind share
- Promotion
- Brand awareness
- Consumer Behaviour
References
- ^ 7 Publicity Myths That Can Hurt Your Business by Pam Lontos, published in Exchange Magazine, retrieved on March 26, 2012
- ^ Marketing Accountability Standards Board (MASB) endorses the definitions, purposes, and constructs of classes of measures that appear in Marketing Metrics as part of its ongoing Common Language in Marketing Project.
- ^ AllWords.com, retrieved on March 26, 2012
- ^ See, for instance, Koniewski, M., Brand Awareness and Brand Loyalty, PMR Research Paper, Feb, 2012, www.research-pmr.com
- ^ "Top of Mind Awareness: Definition & Theory". study.com. Retrieved 2020-12-04.
- ^ "Tools to Increase Brand Awareness". flippingbook.com. Retrieved 2020-12-04.
- ^ Panel®, Expert. "Council Post: 15 Smart Ways To Expand Brand Awareness To New Audiences". Forbes. Retrieved 2020-12-04.
Further reading
Larson, Charles U. (1989). Persuasion. Reception and Responsibility. Fifth Edition. Wadsworth Publishing Company.