Imagine going about building a house where the developers, architects and contractors never coordinated with each other? Yeah, we know the outcome:)
Many times, we go about confusing the marketplace about what products and services our company offers without even realizing it.
Brand architecture in it’s simplest form is a way of organizing the different sub — brands of a larger brand.
This organization helps establish relationship between the larger brand (master brand) and sub-brands with the primary goal of building a brand eco-system that leads to deeper engagement with the target audience.
There are 4 major brand architecture structure;
- Branded House is one where repitition is consistent. The sub-brands feed off the master brand; in messaging, look and feel. Perfect examples include household names such as: FedEx, Virgin, Apple.
- House of Brands has the master brand operating primarily from an organisational and investment point of view — with the sub-brands all operating independently. Examples include household names such as: P&G, Unilever.
- Endorsed Brand meets the house of brand and the branded house structures halfway. Basically, sub-brands are “endorsed” by the master brand and there is usually a reference of this in communication. An example of this is the Marriot Hotel.
- Hybrid Brand is typically used when a firm is either changing brand architectures or acquiring existing brands through mergers or acquisitions. Alphabet Inc. (parent company to google, waymo and other subsidiaries) is a perfect example of this brand architecture. The existing brands (e.g Google) can also assume an association in its sub-brand in the overall product/service positioning.
The benefit of each brand architecture is numerous. Since brand architecture is tied to brand growth, establishing a structure for growth is definitely worth considering.
Regardless of each branded house pros and cons, it is essential to run a brand audit to understand your own organization and the existing setup. So here are some smart questions to ask:
- What is our product/service mix?
- What is our growth/expansion plan?
- What potential opportunities are there?
- How do we currently position and communicate our product/service?
- What’s the distinctive offering in each product/service space?
- What is our ROI?
This will form a road map for your brand identity, development, positioning, design, communication, and synergy for existing brands and future expansion.
Which of these brand architecture does your company currently use?
PS: If you’ve found anything more interesting or contrary, feel free to share with me and/or leave a comment :)
And a clap…or more 👏🏼
