Brand architecture is a system for organising your brands, products and services to help your customers understand what you do and find what they are looking for.
A clear, coherent brand architecture can improve employee engagement, increase customer awareness, build brand advocacy, and protect your brand equity. It’s not only for large corporations; regardless of size, every organisation can benefit from a consistent and logical hierarchy.
Brand architecture can become confusing when organisations introduce a new product or service offering, enter a new market, or target a new customer segment. It can be particularly complex when organisations restructure after a merger or acquisition.
In this article, we’ll discuss the four common types and explain how a simple brand architecture can lay the foundation for success.
Types of brand architecture
Monolithic (branded house)
A monolithic framework leverages a strong master brand (the overarching identity) and features it clearly alongside the sub-brands. It is perhaps the easiest to understand, and leverages established customer loyalty to
Endorsed
An endorsed framework still uses a master brand, but in this instance, both the master brand and the sub-brands can exist independently. Each sub-brand has its own distinctive identity and market presence but benefits from its association with, or endorsement by, the master brand.
Pluralistic
A pluralistic framework is characterised by a range of distinctly different and unique sub-brands that exist independently of the master brand. Customers are often oblivious to the master brand, as it is only responsible for investment and has no association with the sub-brands.
Hybrid
A hybrid is a mixture of two or more brand architectures. It is typically used when an organisation is in transition and allows old and new products to coexist, or supports the merger or acquisition of different brands. This approach helps avoid confusion among customers during a time of transition but requires more brand management and resources.
Keep brand architecture simple
As your brand portfolio inevitably grows and becomes more complex, it becomes increasingly important to implement a coherent framework. After all, the whole idea of brand architecture is to make things clearer, not more convoluted.
There is no one-size-fits-all, and any framework you decide to implement will depend on your organisation’s individual circumstances. A good place to start is to audit your existing architecture, then establish your relationship hierarchy, and finally ensure clarity in all your communications. It’s not always as easy as you think, which is where we can help. If you’re struggling to see the wood for the trees, then why not drop us a line?
