Why Cava’s bid for brand awareness means prioritizing streaming ads

Some brands are throwing more ad dollars behind storytelling campaigns and brand awareness channels as marketers fight for attention in today’s busy digital marketplace. Fast-casual restaurant chain Cava is one of them — it’s been in growth mode over the past year and is leaning into streaming ads in an effort to boost brand awareness.

Putting more marketing spend toward brand awareness efforts is seemingly one of marketers’ latest obsessions. Increasingly, marketers are shifting the focus back to brand building and awareness marketing tactics, as the digital advertising marketplace becomes saturated with competition and riddled with data privacy initiatives and rising CPMs.

Cava, which went public last June, is only the latest example of that shift, with Orangetheory Fitness and direct-to-consumer home brand Parachute also providing examples of brands that have made the move to prioritize brand building efforts. In Cava’s case, it’s leaned into a digital-first strategy, focusing on platform-based advertising on YouTube, Meta and TikTok and prioritizing streaming platforms including YouTube TV, Roku and Hulu.

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