AIDA Framework in Marketing

AIDA is a marketing concept and acronym used to describe the process that a potential consumer steps through, from first becoming aware of a product to ultimately buying and using it. The four key steps of that process are commonly described as Awareness, Interest, Desire, and Action, hence the acronym AIDA. But the graph below also shows that a number of variations and other acronyms can also be used (some in three, four or five step increments).

AIDA is graphically best depicted as a funnel, because the fundamental idea is that as potential consumers step through the different phases, their numbers decrease. Millions of consumers may be aware of a product, a smaller number may be interested in this product or at least this category, an even smaller number may be actively looking to buy it, and an even smaller number may have gone through with the purchase.
The AIDA concept is very useful in marketing and market research, because it allows marketers to identify key gaps and orient their messages and marketing campaign. A comparison of different products may show that they have similar levels of awareness, interest and desire, but that one of the products has a large drop off in the last stage of the process. This would lead the marketer in charge to design a sales and marketing campaign oriented towards “Action” (i.e. how can we encourage trial, how can we get people in the stores, etc.). For a different product, Awareness may be more the issue, and therefore the messaging and structure of a marketing campaign may look quite different.
The AIDA concept has been around for a long time. Some newer studies and literature (link) have actually found that it may be a bit too simplistic and linear, and that in today’s world, where consumers have a lot more information on their finger tips and may be influences by social networks, online reviews and a host of other factors, the purchasing process may be much more complex and circular than the simple AIDA funnel suggests.