Mental Availability of Brands

Think of a category or offering, then immediately think of THE BRAND or the first few brands that comes to your mind in that category.

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When you think of the word "Search engine", what comes to your mind? Yahoo Search? Bing?

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Of course for many of us if not all it is Google.

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What if the category is tacos? How about burgers? sportswear? electric cars? Isn't it interesting how there are a number of brands registered in our mind the moment we think of an offering or category?

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This is called Mental Availability.

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"Mental Availability is when a brand is the first choice in the customer's heart or mind when they think of a product, service or offering they seek."

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It takes a charismatic brand to register into the mental directory of the people. The key ingredient for brands to achieve such a level of success is to be memorable to its audience.

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What are the factors that triggers such a strong memorability? Look back into those brands that popped in your mind and see what's common among them?

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Are they different and have a unique offering? Do they have a unique personality and tone of voice? Is there consistency in the way they present themselves? Do they tell a story that inspires or connects with you?
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These are all necessary ingredients that constitutes a brand that is readily available in people's minds and hearts.

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One of the key importance of mentality is that the buyer is not always exposed to the marketing materials of the brand. They may come across it passively while browsing the internet or scrolling through instragram or perhaps they were driving by the highway and they saw an eye catching billboard. These experiences imprint the brand in their minds and hearts such that the next the when the need arises in their life, they know where to go for the solution.