What is the first stage of Keller's CBBE Pyramid?

The first stage of Keller's Customer-Based Brand Equity (CBBE) Pyramid is salience. This stage focuses on brand awareness and recognition, which is crucial for establishing a brand in the minds of consumers. Salience refers to how easily and frequently consumers think of a brand when faced with a product category or need. It encompasses both brand recall and brand recognition—essentially, whether consumers can correctly identify or remember the brand in relevant situations.

In the context of luxury marketing, building a strong foundation of salience is vital because luxury brands rely heavily on their distinctiveness and visibility to attract potential customers. High salience leads to strong brand associations and can influence consumer preferences, making it an essential starting point in developing a robust brand equity. By ensuring that consumers are aware of and can easily recognize a luxury brand, marketers can then move on to the next stages of the CBBE Pyramid, where emotional bonds and evaluative judgments become increasingly significant.