Why Customers Know You But Still Don’t Buy

(Dale’s post got me thinking. I highly recommend reading it and also following him on LinkedIn.)

Many companies fall into the “brand awareness” trap, assuming that getting their name in front of customers is the silver bullet for driving sales. It’s a compelling idea: if people know who you are, they’ll buy from you. However, this logic misses the deeper truth of what makes customers choose one brand over another.

Awareness alone may get you noticed but doesn’t make you trusted. It doesn’t create relevance, emotional connection, or a reason to choose your brand over others. This is where the delusion begins—confusing visibility with impact.

Awareness gets you in the room.
Relevance makes you the one customers choose.

Dale’s Case: The Cost of Ignoring Awareness

Dale argues that investing in brand awareness upfront reduces long-term sales costs. His framing—“pay me now or pay me more later”—suggests that low awareness forces companies to rely on heavy discounts, extended sales efforts, and costly guarantees. While there’s truth in this, it oversimplifies the dynamics at play.

The real question isn’t just whether customers know you—it’s whether they trust you and whether your brand matters to them. Without trust and relevance, even the best awareness campaign will fall flat.

Awareness Is Necessary, But Not Sufficient

Let’s take Dale’s example of Dongfeng vs. Toyota. Dongfeng, a lesser-known car brand, struggles to sell without offering steep discounts and extended warranties. Meanwhile, Toyota enjoys strong sales with minimal discounts. Dale attributes this to Toyota’s brand awareness.

But is awareness the only factor?

Toyota’s success isn’t just about being well-known; it’s about what it’s known for. Toyota owns the concept of reliability. Customers trust Toyota to deliver consistent quality, making it a safe and confident choice.

On the other hand, Dongfeng might spend millions on awareness campaigns. Still, without a clear and trusted identity—like safety, innovation, or value—it remains an unfamiliar and risky option in customers’ minds.

Breaking the Delusion: Awareness + Relevance = Impact

To escape the brand awareness delusion, companies must move beyond being noticed and focus on becoming trusted and relevant. Here’s how:

Own a Concept, Not Just a Logo

Awareness works best when tied to a unique concept your brand owns in the customer’s mind.
Example: Volvo isn’t just known—it’s synonymous with safety. Nike isn’t just visible—it’s a beacon of greatness.
Ask Yourself: What’s the one idea your brand can own that resonates deeply with your audience?

Build Emotional Resonance

Customers don’t buy based on logic alone; they buy based on how your brand makes them feel.
Example: Apple doesn’t sell computers; it sells creativity and innovation. Red Bull doesn’t market energy drinks; it champions human potential.
Shift the Question: Instead of asking, “How can we get noticed?” ask, “How can we make customers care?”

Ensure Consistency Across Every Touchpoint

Awareness might bring customers to the door, but trust keeps them loyal. To build trust, every experience with your brand must align with your core promise.
Example: Patagonia’s promise of environmental stewardship isn’t just in its ads—it’s in its products, campaigns, and corporate practices.

From Costs to Trust: Rethinking the “Pay Me Now” Argument

Dale suggests that investing in brand awareness saves money by reducing the need for costly sales fixes later. This is true—but incomplete. The real savings come not just from awareness but from alignment, trust, and congruence.

Why Trust Lowers Costs:

Customers hesitate less when they trust your brand.
Shorter sales cycles mean fewer resources spent convincing hesitant buyers.
Trust drives loyalty, reducing the need for reacquisition campaigns.

The Role of Relevance:

Awareness without relevance forces brands into a race to the bottom—competing on price, not value.
Example: Tesla doesn’t spend heavily on ads because it has built a brand that resonates with its audience’s values of sustainability and innovation.

Correlation vs. Causation: The Awareness Misstep

It’s easy to see the connection between high awareness and high sales, but this is correlation, not causation. Sales inefficiencies don’t always stem from low awareness—they often come from:

A lack of trust: If customers don’t believe in your promise, they won’t buy.
Operational misalignment: Awareness campaigns will fail if your product or experience doesn’t match your messaging.
Weak relevance: Customers might know you but choose a competitor because your offer doesn’t align with their values or needs.

Rewriting the Playbook: Awareness as Part of the Whole

Start with Positioning:

What concept can your brand own that solves a customer problem or aligns with their aspirations?
Example: Salesforce didn’t just rebrand CRM software—it declared “Software is Dead” and pioneered cloud computing.

Integrate Trust and Relevance:

Build trust by aligning your brand promise with every customer interaction.
Create relevance by understanding what your customers care about and ensuring your brand connects with those values.

Leverage Awareness Strategically:

Awareness campaigns should amplify your core concept, not exist in isolation.

Finally

Awareness might get you in the room, but it’s not enough to win the sale. The brands that succeed don’t just focus on being noticed—they focus on being trusted, relevant, and indispensable.

So, ask yourself:

Are we trying to be seen, or are we trying to matter?
Do our customers know us, or do they trust us?
Are we asking the right questions about what drives loyalty and sales?

Breaking the awareness trap means thinking bigger—not just about how customers see your brand, but about how they feel about it and what it means to them. That’s the difference between being recognized and being chosen.

Platonic