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According to the Breakthrough Advertising book, there are 5 different stages of customer awareness. These are:
- Completely Unaware: Prospects have a problem that they don't fully realize and hence they are not looking for a solution.
- Problem-Aware: Your prospect knows they have a problem and they recognize the problem immediately when told about it. But they can't connect your product with the fulfillment of that problem.
- Solution-Aware: Your prospect knows or recognizes immediately the solution but they are not aware that your product offers that solution
- Product-Aware: Your prospect knows about the product but isn't completely aware of what your product does, or how well it solves their problem
- The Most Aware: Your prospect knows your product and wants to buy it. He/she is waiting for the right bargain or timing.
Each phase of awareness requires a different framework and approach to move your potential customer from being completely unaware to the point of purchasing your product.
Uber is an example of one of the successful brands that demonstrate how they approached their prospects at each of these phases of awareness.
Uber's landing page from 2011 (The year of launch)
The headline used to be- "Everyone's Private Driver"
With this vague headline and no sub-heading, you'd have imagined the type of users Uber targeted with its landing page back in 2011- those who were Completely Unaware of the product or the solution.
In 2011, people didn't even know that ride-hailing is possible using an app where drivers are willing to work as chauffeurs. They were obviously not looking for drivers online. Uber addressed these prospects by targeting an inner desire to ride a chauffeur-driven car.
Uber's landing page from 2013 (2 years after launch)
In 2013 ride-hailing gained some popularity and people knew about the problem. However, they still needed convincing. Uber was targeting a Problem Aware group.
Their landing page had multiple slides speaking to different types of users with different problems.
In 2013 they were talking about problems- yet no mention of the Uber brand or its features.
The problems they highlighted in their landing page were ease, affordability, safety and convenience, work while you travel, style, and global acceptance.
Uber’s landing page from 2016 (5 years after launch)
This year their landing page spoke about the solution- Get there using the app. They were clearly targeting a solution-aware audience.
No mention of the problems- take customers right away to the solution.
On the right side of their landing page, they had a screenshot of their app where you could get started as a rider or driver. People were ready to use the solution- they just needed a push.
Landing page from 2018 (7 years after launch)
At this point, Uber was targeting Product Aware prospects.
People visiting their page knew what Uber was offering and how to use it. Uber just had to talk about 2 things- how to register as drivers and riders.
They rightly assumed that people know about the solution as well as the product. So give them what they are coming for without any other distraction.
And finally, when Subro looked at their landing page in 2021, Uber has gone back to the product awareness stage but this time with their food delivery app.
They are not even showing rides in the default view as they know their riders/drivers are already in Most Aware stage and they now have to push their other products to them.
There are 2 primary learnings from these designs and copywriting approach:
- Psychology plays a critical role in any branding exercise. Since each company is targeting a unique audience, their copy should reflect the psychology of that primary audience without any exception.
- If we are to take some lessons from a large brand for our copy or branding, we have to look back to a time when they had a similar product, solution, and target audience as what we have now.
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