If this sounds like a familiar problem to you, then you probably realize that the obvious solution is to increase brand awareness. And to do so you need to advertise and gain publicity.

It is regrettable, then, that the problem is not so easily solved as you may believe. Advertising has become so pervasive in society most people simply tune it out, turning any advertising campaign into a genuine gamble. You are competing with hundreds of thousands of other brands, all struggling to gain exposure on the same media you use.

Fortunately, you do not have to play that silly game anymore. Believe it or not, there are ways to drastically improve brand awareness without incurring the enormous risks and costs associated with traditional advertising.

A Foolproof Brand-Boosting Technique
I want you to take a moment and use your imagination. Imagine now you are watching TV, and a company’s brand just happens to appear on a television show. “What brand?” you may be asking? Exactly.

Now consider TV advertisements. How often do you sit in rapt attention over a television commercial? Unless you find infomercials to be models of high entertainment, chances are you tune out or purposely do anything but pay attention to the ad. Ignoring TV advertising is easier than ever now with Digital Recorders such as TiVo to satisfy our entertainment needs.

Now I want you to imagine you’re watching TV with a friend, and your friend happens to have a pen with a certain brand on it. How likely is it you’ll ask your friend where he got the pen?

To use another example, pretend you are going out with a friend or co-worker, and on the way to the car your companion fishes out a set of keys with a branded key tag attached. Obviously, it must be a quality brand for your friend to keep it so close, so you take note of it.

Universities, Nonprofit Organizations and Government Agencies are pure geniuses when it comes to using this technique. People simply cannot resist noticing branded key tags, pins, desk accessories or any number of other brandable products when their friends and associates carry them around.

What’s more, these brands now evoke positive feelings as a result of being associated with a friend. Universities and nonprofits know this, and have capitalized on it for decades to build their name and prestige. Now you can join the handful of companies that have catapulted themselves to success as a result of using this simple, elegant and inexpensive technique.