The \"A\" Word (in marketing)

It’s one of those vague, feel-good objectives that can fill dashboards and justify budgets without proving much.

“Awareness” strategies are often a polite way of saying we’re targeting everyone and hoping something sticks.

That’s the problem (and where I get stuck): awareness marketing usually means wasted audience, wasted money, and wasted opportunity.

It gets worse when awareness and attraction are treated as the same thing, and “being seen” becomes a leading KPI as if it had substance.

I was certain that kind of misalignment was on full display at a local vendor fair, but then a shift happened that changed my perspective.

Each booth had a hidden pumpkin, and visitors were given a paper listing all the vendors. Every time someone found a pumpkin, that vendor would initial their paper. After collecting a few initials, turn it in, and you’d be entered into a prize drawing.

At first, it looked pointless with people drifting from table to table, not buying anything, just hunting pumpkins.

It felt like an awareness campaign come to life: movement everywhere, intention nowhere.

But after a while, I noticed something else happening.

People who never would’ve stopped were discovering vendors they genuinely liked (me included!).

That simple, silly gimmick had created a reason to explore. It engineered collisions between people and possibilities.

That’s when it clicked. This was awareness with an underlying catalyst.

The vendors didn’t know who was interested, and the visitors didn’t know who might interest them. But the pumpkin search gave both sides just enough direction through a light framework that turned random motion into meaningful encounters.

I remember studying marketing in college, and whenever awareness in marketing came up, it was inevitably empty from execution through to attribution.

However, I’ve since learned that given the right context, awareness marketing can do more than shout into the void; it can spark genuine curiosity, even when the target is only roughly drawn.

Brain tease: If awareness marketing is shaped or aimed in any way, is it still awareness, or is it targeted? Where’s the line?

The pumpkin hunt worked to stoke interest because it had structure and context as its guide.

For example, it happened at a shopping event, where people were already in a browsing/buying mindset. They were motivated to move (further) for a reason (pumpkins), even if that reason wasn’t directly transactional. (increasing the odds - this is an important detail)

For the vendors to evaluate success, are the vendors supposed to attribute the awareness efforts to their sales? If so, how much attribution?

Should the vendor give credit to their genius deals/offers? To their products? To their location in the venue? To the day of the week and time of the event? To the signage on their table?

You can see where I’m going with this…

The real misconception for vendors (and marketers) is believing awareness equals interest.

It doesn’t. No more than looking for pumpkins equaled sales.

Actually, maybe it does, maybe it doesn’t, and that’s the lesson here.

Awareness only means someone noticed you once. It doesn’t mean they care, remember, or ever will. (or made a purchase because of it)

Still, awareness isn’t without value. It can put possibilities into motion.

It can be a helpful trailing indicator, too. Metrics might show what catches the eye or hint at what’s worth refining and showing again.

Like that vendor craft fair, it can tell you which booths drew extended curiosity, even if it doesn’t prove why they bought.

Awareness is mostly ineffective because it’s usually aimless.

But that doesn’t make it useless, or incapable of aim.

Even McDonald’s hangs window signage for new menu items, not because they can measure who walks in because of it, but because visibility still matters.

The difference is context and resources.

So start with what you know.

Choose the better platform, the closer audience, the clearer message.

Even rough targeting beats random exposure. (Brain tease answer: yes, rough targeting can still be in the neighborhood of awareness)

The same way a simple pumpkin hunt turned randomness into discovery, you can create meaningful attention from directed awareness. Because small, focused motion always outperforms big, aimless gestures.

Think of awareness marketing as your own version of that pumpkin hunt.

The goal was never just to find pumpkins, it was to meet curiosity halfway. (*important tactical insight)

Even when major factors are unknown, you can still choose the better room, the clearer path, and the more intentional intersection.

Going just far enough beyond random awareness (do your best guess) will make a credible, positive impression. (but, good luck measuring it)

Then, pair that direction with real substance! The kind of work or offer that holds attention once you’ve earned it.

So, what’s the moral of the story?

Don’t chase awareness. Create conditions for discovery. Whether that’s through outreach, relevance, or simply doing the kind of work that earns it.

Remember this:

The mistake isn’t using awareness as a strategy; it’s approaching it without tact, and misinterpreting what it means and what it’s worth.

And really remember this:

Do quality work that commands attention. Because third-person buzz and word-of-mouth referrals outperform any awareness campaign you could ever buy.

So, there you have it.

My recent journey from complete skeptic to thinking, “maybe awareness marketing isn’t so empty after all.” (allegedly 😆)