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July 9, 2025
Recently, I came across a post from Christian Banach, where he shared some powerful stats and insights on how hard it’s getting to win new business, and what’s actually driving buyer decisions.
One line in particular stuck with me:
“They didn’t pick the cheapest. Or the most aggressive. They picked the agency they’d heard of before.”
That’s it. That’s the blog.
(Just kidding—but that is the heart of it.)
Because no matter how good your pitch deck is, or how dialed-in your targeting may be, it often comes down to one simple question:
Have they heard of you before?
Does your name ring a bell?
Does it feel familiar?
Awareness is often treated like the warm-up act for “real” marketing. Something nice to have, but not essential when there are KPIs to hit and performance to optimize.
But here’s the deal: even the strongest campaigns can’t carry your brand if it’s invisible during the consideration phase.
The best-optimized search ads can’t close the deal if your name never entered the ring.
Search is my happy place. (Optimizing performance down to the decimal? Yes please.) But even I’ll admit, if you’re only showing up at the bottom of the funnel, you’re missing the 95% of your audience who aren’t ready to buy yet, but eventually will be.
And when they are? They’ll go with the brand they’ve seen before. The one they trust. The one that doesn’t feel like a stranger in their inbox.
In his post, Christian shares a story about a buyer with more than 10 tabs open, actively comparing agencies.
They weren’t just browsing, they were researching.
And the agency that won?
It was the one they recognized.
Today’s buyers are smart, skeptical, and self-directed
They read blogs.
They follow industry voices.
They lean on peer recommendations.
By the time potential customers land on your site or click your PPC ad, they’ve already started forming opinions about who they trust and who they don’t.
That’s why awareness isn’t just about visibility. It’s about shaping perception early.
It’s about getting your name in the ring before the match even starts.
🧠 Recognition builds trust
🤝 Trust drives action
🎯 And when it’s time to choose, familiarity makes the shortlist.
Awareness isn’t about being everywhere.
It’s about being remembered.
It’s the bridge between passive impressions and active intent, between “never heard of them” and “I’ve been meaning to check them out.”
That’s why awareness campaigns aren’t a luxury add-on.
They’re the groundwork.
The pre-sell.
The subtle, persistent presence that makes your brand feel safe, credible, and top-of-mind.
Today’s decision-making journey starts long before someone fills out a form or books a demo.
It starts with:
That’s how you earn a spot in their mental “known and trusted” list.
Here’s what smart awareness looks like:
At PunchDrunk, we help brands show up early, often, and with purpose—so that when a prospect is ready to buy, your name isn’t just familiar, It’s the obvious choice.
Because the truth is:
They won’t always pick the cheapest.
They’ll pick the one they remember.
#BrandAwareness #FullFunnelMarketing #PPC #PerformanceMarketing #DigitalStrategy #B2BMarketing #PunchDrunkDigital
