Top of mind awareness, or TOMA, is one of the key concepts in marketing, and one of the most difficult to achieve, but if you can reach it, you’ve got it made.

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Top of Mind
What does this mean, and how do you achieve it?
You need tissues, so what brand comes to mind when you ask for
some? Kleenex.
Now that your nose is blown, you need some hand sanitizer to kill the
germs. If you’re like most people, you look for the “Purell.” Sure there
are other brands of tissues and hand sanitizer, but the aforementioned
brands are the household names, the ones that are most often
associated with their products and, thus, the most commonly sought-
after. This is where you want your product to be.
Top of mind awareness, or TOMA, is one of the key concepts in marketing, and one of the
most difficult to achieve, but if you can reach it, you’ve got it made.

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This term refers to a product’s ability to be the salient name on the tip of the consumer’s
tongue when he or she thinks of your market, the propensity to be on the “top of the mind” as
opposed to other brands.
Statistically this calculates to a percentage number of consumer opinions over a given
month, but the concept is what’s important.
So how do you get there? If you’re lucky enough, you’ll be the first one on the major
consumer scene and your name will stick—think of the Snuggie; it wasn’t the first of its kind,
but it was the first one to make it to infomercials and seven-figure-view YouTube videos.
Most of the time, your product isn’t the first of its kind, though, so you have to make due by
marketing it properly.
You have to make it seem like the most important one, the quintessential brand for that
product. Increasingly that’s through social media.
The Snuggie showed there’s a lot of power in social media marketing, even if it’s farcical.
Market it to stick out, and it’ll become the known brand.
TOMA
Top of mind awareness (TOMA) is a brand awareness metric that is used to measure how
well various brands rank in the mind of consumers. It is simply the first brand that comes to
customer’s mind for a particular product category or industry.
For example if I say “toothpaste” and the first brand that comes to your mind is Colgate, then
Colgate has the top of mind awareness for you.
Every brand strives to achieve top of mind awareness and campaigns that results in top of
mind awareness are considered to be highly successful campaigns. Of course, if the product
category is competitive then top of mind awareness is built gradually over a period of time
with heavy advertising and branding consistency.
How to Create Top of Mind Awareness
The following 2 step process has been generally accepted to be effective in creating top of
mind awareness. No rocket science here!
Step 1: Differentiate your brand proposition – This is the holy grail of branding
and is easier said than done. In an ideal world, there would be a handful of
brands with their own unique set of benefits and with their own strong bunch of
loyalists. All these brands would have top of mind awareness in their niche.
But the world is not ideal and we have a plethora of me too brands vying for
your attention every day. If you can break the clutter by showing your
uniqueness, half your job is done.
Step 2: Be consistent with your branding efforts – Once the people know
clearly what you stand for, don’t confuse them or break your promise by being
something else.
And ensure that your customers get your brand message regularly and if
possible, more than your competing brand.

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It’s all about winning the race for maximum brand exposure. It’s not without
reason that biggies like Coke keep pumping billions into their ad campaigns,
even though everyone who can buy a Coke already know about the brand.
Just knowing is not enough, they have to remember Coke better than Pepsi!
How to Use Mind Maps to Unleash your Brain's Creativity and
Potential
Mind mapping is one of the best ways to capture your thoughts and bring them to life in
visual form.
Beyond just note-taking, though, mind maps can help you become more creative, remember
more, and solve problems more effectively.
Whether you're new to Mind maps or just want a refresher, here's all you need to know about
this technique.
What Are Mind Maps?
A mind map is basically a diagram that connects information around a central subject.
I like to think of it like a tree, although it has more of a radial structure. In any case, at the

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center is your main idea, say, poetry, and the branches are subtopics or related ideas, such
as types of poetry, famous poets, and poetry publications.
Greater levels of detail branch out from there and branches can be linked together.
Mind maps can be used for pretty much any thinking or learning task, from studying a subject
(such as a new language) to planning your career or even building better habits.
The Asian Efficiency blog offers a few unusual ways to use mind maps you might not have
considered: create a knowledge bank (since mind mapping software lets you attach files and
add links), solve problems (such as which credit card to use), create book summaries, and
set goals.
They're great for teams to use as well, for group brainstorming and interactive presentations.
Why Mind Maps Are Better Than Text Notes
Mind maps can be more effective than other brainstorming and linear note-taking methods
for a number of reasons:

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• It's a graphical tool that can incorporate words, images, numbers, and color, so it can
be more memorable and enjoyable to create and review. The combination of words
and pictures is six times better for remembering information than words alone.
• Mind maps link and group concepts together through natural associations. This helps
generate more ideas, find deeper meaning in your subject, and also prompt you to fill
in more or find what you're missing.
• A mind map can at once give you an overview of a large subject while also holding
large amounts of information.
• It's also a very intuitive way to organize your thoughts, since mind maps mimic the
way our brains think—bouncing ideas off of each other, rather than thinking linearly.
• You can generate ideas very quickly with this technique and are encouraged to
explore different creative pathways.
In one survey, executives who started using mind mapping software said they were able to
work significantly faster than before and juggle more complex projects through mind
mapping.
I use mind maps especially when I'm stuck on a problem or am facing writer's block. (The
image above is my starter mind map for this post, created in OneNote. Yeah, it's not pretty,
but that's okay.
OneNote seems to be ideal for mind mapping because even handwriting is searchable, you
can embed other files, and if you have a tablet PC, draw on the screen.) By starting out with
the basic questions—who, what, why, etc.—and then following each thread, I'm more
confident I'm not missing anything, and the ideas just seem to arise on their own.
Think of it this way. Imagine you were asked to write down as many uses for a brick as
possible. Many people would just start listing all their ideas (building a wall, building a
walkway, etc.). But what if you started from a broader perspective, such as thinking about the
properties of a brick.
It's heavy, so you could use it: as a paperweight, to hold down a garbage bag while raking,
as an exercise weight, to grill juicer chicken, etc. It's also thick, so you could use it to prop up
a planter or as a doorstop. It's red, it's hard, it's rectangular, etc.
That’s the magic of mind mapping: Once you start, the possibilities seem almost endless.

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How to Get Started Mind Mapping
Best Mind Mapping Tools
Mind mapping is a great way to brainstorm, make a plan, or turn ideas into the steps needed
to make. Pen and paper may be better because you can get your thoughts out more quickly
and the act of drawing the branches out can aid recall.
On the other hand, using the computer can make your mind maps searchable and include
attachments.
If you're having trouble deciding from among the tons of digital tools to choose from, the Mind
Mapping Software blog suggests you look for these five features: the ability to add links and
attachments, add notes, filter content, export to other programs or formats, and use keyboard
shortcuts.
Guidelines for creating mind maps
• Start in the center with an image of the topic, using at least 3 colors.
• Use images, symbols, codes, and dimensions throughout your mind map.
• Select key words and print using upper or lower case letters.
• Each word/image is best alone and sitting on its own line.
• The lines should be connected, starting from the central image. The lines become
thinner as they radiate out from the center.
• Make the lines the same length as the word/image they support.

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• Use multiple colors throughout the mind map, for visual stimulation and also for
encoding or grouping.
• Develop your own personal style of mind mapping.
• Use emphasis and show associations in your mind map.
• Keep the mind map clear by using radial hierarchy or outlines to embrace your
branches.
And this result is a mind map about mind mapping. There's no one standard way you have to
create a mind map, however. If you want to use more than key word or add more text to a
branch, that's a personal choice.
Differences from other visualizations
Concept maps - Mind maps differ from concept maps in that mind maps focus on only one
word or idea, whereas concept maps connect multiple words or ideas. Also, concept maps
typically have text labels on their connecting lines/arms.
Mind maps are based on radial hierarchies and tree structures denoting relationships with a
central governing concept, whereas concept maps are based on connections between
concepts in more diverse patterns. However, either can be part of a larger personal
knowledge base system.
Modelling graphs - There is no rigorous right or wrong with mind maps, relying on the
arbitrariness of mnemonic systems. A UML diagram or a semantic network has structured
elements modelling relationships, with lines connecting objects to indicate relationship.

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This is generally done in black and white with a clear and agreed iconography. Mind maps
serve a different purpose: they help with memory and organization.
Mind maps are collections of words structured by the mental context of the author with visual
mnemonics, and, through the use of color, icons and visual links, are informal and necessary
to the proper functioning of the mind map.
eMage branding, strategic experience will provide a tailor made answers for your company’s
expectations. Our consulting proposition scope is based on:
• Boost Productivity
Organize ideas and information in a single view so you can see connections
and draw conclusions quickly.
• Ensure Project Success
Get visibility into every aspect of your projects. Show the big picture and view
the details in context.
• Communicate More Effectively
Organize and present in a visual context to improve understanding and
retention.
info@eMagebranding.com www.eMagebranding.com Tel. 1+754.244.3700