As a millennial marketer, I understand the significance of building successful awareness campaigns that are targeted toward Millennials and Gen-Z.

For our generation, brand awareness plays a crucial role in building long-term relationships with consumers.

In this blog, I'll explore the importance of awareness campaigns, highlight successful examples, and provide tips on building effective campaigns.

Why Brand Awareness is Essential for Millennials and Gen-Z

So, why should brands create and execute awareness campaigns when trying to reach the coveted Millennial and Gen Z cohort? The answer is simple, they’ve got the money!

These two generations represent a significant portion of the market, with a combined spending power of two trillion five hundred forty-four billion dollars. Therefore, brands that target these demographics will need to build trust and establish a solid emotional connection with them to succeed.

In today's digital age, where information is constantly at our fingertips, building brand awareness is more important than ever. According to a study by the Pew Research Center, 81% of Americans own a smartphone, and 85% of social media users are between the ages of 18 and 29. However, according to a study by Forbes, only 1% of Millennials trust traditional advertising. This means that brands need to find new and innovative ways to capture the attention of Millennials and Gen-Z.

One of the most effective ways to build this trust and emotional connection is through - you guessed it - awareness campaigns. Such campaigns create multiple touchpoints with the target audience, increasing the likelihood of being noticed and remembered.

In fact, a study by Lucidpress found that consistent brand presentation across all platforms increases revenue by up to 33%. Therefore, creating memorable messaging that will resonate with Millennials and Gen-Z can lead to increased revenue and a stronger brand identity.

By building trust, establishing an emotional connection, and creating multiple touchpoints with their target audiences, brands can increase their recognition and customer loyalty, and ultimately, drive sales.

Remember that building awareness takes time and multiple touchpoints to create a lasting impact on your target audience.

Rule of 7+ or 10

In today's world, consumers are constantly bombarded with ads, making it challenging for brands to capture the short attention span of both generations. This is where the "Rule of 7+" or "Rule of 10" comes into play.

This marketing principle suggests that a consumer needs to interact with a brand or product at least seven to ten times before they are likely to engage or make a purchase decision. Therefore, creating a holistic approach that includes multiple touchpoints across different platforms is crucial for brands, particularly when targeting Millennials and Gen-Z.

Brands shouldn't expect to see immediate results. A study by the Advertising Research Foundation found that it can take up to six months to see a significant impact from a brand awareness campaign.

Marketers need to pack their patience and be persistent in their efforts to create campaigns that resonate.

Tips for Building Effective Brand Awareness Campaigns

Here are some tips to help you create successful campaigns targeted toward Millennials and Gen-Z:

1. Leverage Emotions

Emotions play a powerful role in creating brand awareness and engagement. According to a recent study by Credit Karma, over half of Gen Z and Millennial respondents consider themselves emotional spenders. By tapping into the emotions of Millennials and Gen Z, brands can create a strong connection and build a loyal customer base. Emotional connections can be created in a variety of ways, such as storytelling, humor, and inspiration.

One company that has effectively leveraged emotions in their awareness campaigns is Always, a feminine hygiene product brand. Their "Like a Girl" campaign, launched in 2014, aimed to challenge gender stereotypes and inspire girls to feel confident and empowered. The campaign featured a video that showcased the negative connotations associated with doing something "like a girl," such as running or throwing.

The video then showed young girls confidently and proudly performing these actions "like a girl." The emotional connection that the campaign created with their target audience helped Always build a loyal customer base and a strong brand presence.

Emotional connections can be created in a variety of ways, such as storytelling, humor, and inspiration. It is important to understand the values and pain points of the target audience in order to effectively leverage emotions in a brand awareness campaign. By leveraging emotions, businesses can create a strong emotional connection with their target audience and build a loyal customer base.

2. Personalize Your Campaigns

Personalizing your brand awareness campaigns is crucial in building a strong emotional connection with your target audience. By creating a campaign that resonates with your audience's interests and values, businesses can create a strong brand identity and build a loyal customer base.

A brand that really understood personalization is Casper.

Casper is a mattress and bedding company that offers a range of products for a good night's sleep. One of the ways that Casper personalizes its brand awareness is by offering a customized shopping experience for each user. By using a sleep quiz to understand the user's sleep habits and preferences, Casper suggests products that are tailored to their needs.

This personalized approach to brand awareness campaigns has helped Casper build a strong emotional connection with their target audience and increase sales of their products.

By personalizing your awareness campaigns, businesses can create a strong emotional connection with their target audience and build a loyal customer base.

Personalization can be achieved in a variety of ways, such as using targeted messaging, offering customized products or experiences, and using data to personalize recommendations.

It is important to understand the values and interests of the target audience in order to effectively personalize a brand awareness campaign.

3. Maintain Consistency

Maintaining consistency across all brand awareness campaigns is crucial in building a strong brand identity.

By creating a consistent visual and messaging style, businesses can increase brand recognition and build trust with their target audience.

Consistency can be achieved in a variety of ways, such as using the same font and color scheme, using a consistent tone of voice, and using the same imagery and messaging across all platforms.

One company that has effectively maintained consistency in its brand awareness is Apple.

Apple is known for its simple and sleek design, which is consistent across all of its products and marketing campaigns.

Apple uses the same minimalist design and typography across all of its platforms, including its website, packaging, and advertising campaigns. By maintaining this consistency, Apple has built a strong brand identity and increased brand recognition.

By maintaining consistency across all brand awareness campaigns, businesses can increase brand recognition and build trust with their target audience

It is important to establish a clear brand identity and maintain consistency across all campaigns to create a strong emotional connection with the target audience.

4. Use Multiple Touchpoints

Using multiple touchpoints is crucial in building effective brand awareness campaigns. Touchpoints refer to every point of contact that a customer has with a brand, including social media, television commercials, print ads, and more.

Additionally, HelloFresh uses influencer partnerships to reach new audiences and offers referral discounts to incentivize current customers to share the service with their friends and family.

Finally, HelloFresh also leverages out-of-home advertising through billboards and subway ads in major cities to reach commuters and build brand recognition.

To effectively use multiple touchpoints, businesses should identify the touchpoints that are most relevant to their target audience and create a consistent messaging and visual style across all platforms.

This can include using the same color scheme, imagery, and messaging across all platforms and utilizing customer data to create personalized campaigns.

By using multiple touchpoints, businesses can reach customers at every stage of the customer journey and create a cohesive brand experience.

5. Create Engaging Content

Create engaging content that resonates with your target audience. This can be achieved through storytelling, humor, UGC, and more. Engaging content can also increase the likelihood of social sharing and user engagement.

For example, Poo-Pourri is a toilet spray company that has effectively used engaging content to build brand awareness. Poo-Pourri uses humor in their advertising campaigns to appeal to their audience.

Their campaign titled "Girls Don't Poop" showcased a series of tongue-in-cheek advertisements that poked fun at traditional bathroom etiquette.

The campaign generated millions of views and shares on social media and helped Poo-Pourri become a viral sensation.

Additionally, Poo-Pourri has also leveraged user-generated content by encouraging customers to share their own stories and experiences using the product on social media.

This has helped build a community of loyal fans and customers who engage with the brand regularly.

6. Experiment with New Mediums

Experimenting with new mediums can be a great way to break through the noise and reach your target audience.

While it may be tempting to stick with tried-and-true methods, it's important to keep an open mind and be willing to try new things in order to reach your audience where they are.

One brand that has successfully experimented with a new medium is the Seattle Kraken, a professional ice hockey team in the NHL. The team embraced the growing trend of "#booktok" on TikTok (a corner of the app dedicated to book-related content.

By creating videos that play to the popularity of hockey romance novels, they have found a way to draw in new audiences and found a way to speak into the coveted #BookTok community.

As a result, the Kraken gained a significant amount of engagement on their social media channels, and fans who may not have otherwise been interested in hockey before are now following along - even purchasing expensive Stanley Cup playoff tickets.

The team even went as far to create a custom BookTok jersey, which is now a “hot commodity” amongst the BookTok community.


As of writing, the Seattle Kraken has gained over 10,000 new followers on TikTok in just the last 7 days alone.

7. Measure Your ROI

Understanding the effectiveness of your efforts allows you to optimize your strategies, allocate resources wisely, and demonstrate the value of your campaigns to stakeholders.

Here are some key considerations when measuring the ROI of your brand awareness campaigns:

• Define your goals: Before diving into measuring ROI, it's essential to define clear and specific goals for your brand awareness campaign. These goals can vary based on the nature of your business, such as increasing website traffic, generating leads, improving social media engagement, or enhancing brand perception. Clearly defining your goals will help you align your measurement approach accordingly.
  
  

• Track key metrics: Identify and track key metrics that align with your goals. For example, if your goal is to increase website traffic, you can track metrics like unique visitors, page views, and bounce rates. If your goal is to improve social media engagement, you can track metrics like likes, comments, shares, and follower growth. By monitoring these metrics, you can assess the impact of your brand awareness campaigns and make data-driven decisions.
  
  

• Utilize analytics tools: Leverage analytics tools to gather and analyze data related to your brand awareness campaigns. Platforms like Google Analytics, social media analytics, and email marketing software provide valuable insights into user behavior, campaign performance, and audience demographics. These tools enable you to track and measure the effectiveness of your campaigns, identify trends, and make informed adjustments.
  
  

• Attribute results: Establish attribution models to determine how your brand awareness campaigns contribute to conversions or desired actions. Attribution models help you understand which touchpoints or channels played a role in driving user engagement and conversions. By attributing results accurately, you can allocate resources effectively and optimize your campaigns for maximum impact.
  
  

• Calculate ROI: To measure the ROI of your brand awareness campaigns, compare the costs incurred with the outcomes achieved. Calculate the financial investment made in the campaign (such as advertising spend, creative production, and marketing team costs) and compare it to the results achieved (such as increased revenue, customer acquisition, or improved brand sentiment). This calculation helps you assess the cost-effectiveness and overall success of your campaigns.
  
  

• Monitor long-term impact: Brand awareness campaigns often have a long-term impact on customer perception and loyalty. While immediate sales or conversions may not be the primary focus, it's essential to monitor the long-term effects on brand equity, customer lifetime value, and customer retention. Continuously track brand sentiment, customer feedback, and customer retention rates to gauge the sustained impact of your campaigns.
  
  

• Iterate and optimize: Use the insights gathered from ROI measurement to iterate and optimize your brand awareness campaigns. Analyze the data, identify areas of improvement, and experiment with different strategies and tactics. Continuously refine your campaigns based on the ROI data to ensure you're getting the best results from your efforts.

Measuring ROI is an ongoing process that requires consistent monitoring and adjustment.

By setting clear goals, tracking relevant metrics, utilizing analytics tools, attributing results, calculating ROI, monitoring long-term impact, and iterating based on insights, you can effectively measure the success of your brand awareness campaigns and make data-driven decisions to drive your business forward.

Successful Campaign Examples

Let's take a look at some brands that have succeeded in building effective awareness campaigns:

Chewy - Personalized Touch and Subscription Model

Chewy, an online pet supplies retailer, has built a strong brand presence by creating personalized experiences for their customers. Chewy understands that pet owners love their pets like family and they have tailored their marketing strategy to reflect this bond. Their campaigns often feature heartwarming content that showcases the relationship between pets and their owners.

Chewy's personalization strategy extends to their subscription model as well. They offer a subscription service that delivers pet food and supplies directly to customers' doors on a regular basis. This model not only provides convenience for customers, but it also increases brand loyalty and creates repeat customers.

One of Chewy's most successful campaigns was their holiday campaign in 2019, which featured personalized digital cards that customers could send to their pets. The cards included the pets' names and images, making them feel like a part of the family. The campaign was promoted across multiple channels including social media, email, and their website.

The campaign was a hit with pet owners and generated a 6.4% increase in revenue, which was higher than their projected increase of 4.3%. The campaign also resulted in a 40% increase in website traffic, a 60% increase in social media engagement, and a 20% increase in repeat customers. The personalized touch of the campaign resonated with pet owners and created a strong emotional connection to the brand.

Chewy's success can be attributed to their understanding of their target audience and their ability to create personalized experiences that resonate with pet owners.

By using a subscription model that provides convenience and a sense of exclusivity, they have created a loyal customer base that values their brand. Their success shows that personalization and a subscription model can be a powerful combination for creating brand awareness and loyalty.

Headspace - Mindfulness and Emotional Connection

Headspace, a meditation and mindfulness app, has built a strong brand presence by creating emotional connections with their target audience. They understand that their target audience is often overwhelmed by the stresses of daily life and they have tailored their marketing strategy to provide a sense of calm and relaxation.

Headspace's brand messaging focuses on the idea that everyone can benefit from meditation and mindfulness practices. Their campaigns feature calming imagery and soothing music, which help create a relaxing atmosphere for their audience. They have also partnered with celebrities such as LeBron James to promote the app and its benefits.

One of Headspace's most successful campaigns was their "Be Kind to Your Mind" campaign, which was launched during Mental Health Awareness Month in 2019. The campaign focused on the importance of taking care of one's mental health and featured a series of short videos that promoted the benefits of mindfulness practices.

The campaign was a hit with their target audience and generated a 25% increase in new subscribers. It also resulted in a 22% increase in app downloads and a 14% increase in social media followers. The emotional connection that the campaign created with its target audience helped Headspace build a loyal customer base that valued their brand.

Headspace's success can be attributed to their ability to create an emotional connection with their target audience and provide a valuable service that helps people manage their mental health. Their focus on mindfulness and relaxation has helped them stand out in a crowded market and build a strong brand identity.

Sephora - User-Generated Content and Inclusivity

Sephora, a beauty and makeup retailer, has built a strong brand presence by creating a sense of inclusivity and using user-generated content to showcase their products. Sephora understands that their target audience values diversity and authenticity and they have tailored their marketing strategy to reflect these values.

Sephora's campaigns often feature real people using their products, rather than professional models or celebrities. They also prioritize inclusivity by offering a wide range of products for all skin tones and types, as well as hosting in-store events that cater to diverse groups.

One of Sephora's most successful campaigns is their "SephoraSquad" campaign, which was launched in 2019 to celebrate their diverse community of beauty enthusiasts.

The campaign featured user-generated content from customers and employees, highlighting the diversity of their customer base.

The campaign is a hit with its target audience and has generated over 10,000 submissions from people around the world. Sephora uses the content to create a series of social media posts and in-store displays that showcased the diversity of their community. The campaign also resulted in a 20% increase in social media followers and a 15% increase in app downloads.

Sephora's success can be attributed to its focus on inclusivity and user-generated content. By showcasing real people using their products, they create an authentic connection with their target audience and promote a sense of community. The success of the SephoraSquad campaign shows the power of user-generated content in creating brand awareness and engagement.

Sephora's campaign success demonstrates the importance of inclusivity and authenticity in building an effective brand awareness campaign.

In Conclusion…

Building successful brand awareness campaigns targeted toward Millennials and Gen-Z requires a combination of creativity, authenticity, and data-driven insights.

Leveraging emotions, personalizing campaigns, maintaining consistency, using multiple touchpoints, creating engaging content, experimenting with new mediums, and measuring your ROI are all critical elements to creating a successful brand awareness campaign.

By following these tips, you can create a successful brand awareness campaign that captures the attention and loyalty of your target audience, leading to increased brand recognition, customer loyalty, and ultimately, increased sales.