​
This illustration helps explain why brand-building investments (such as advertising) may not deliver strong returns for a new brand early on but can, over time, lead to major competitive advantage. The benefits of brand-building kick in once the brand reaches similar levels of mental availability as its key competitors, and no longer needs to rely on heavy discounting to attract customers and secure sales.

Check out this LinkedIn thread for a discussion about the topic.

What to learn more? Try asking Virtual Dan White.