Date Added: 11.03.2025
Mins Read: 4 mins
Author: Chris Southgate
What is Brand Architecture Strategy?
What is Brand Architecture Strategy?
Often when we think of branding, there’s a lot of talk around creating strong identities, catchy logos, and memorable slogans, but what happens when your brand is made up of multiple products, services, or even sub-brands? How do you make sure everything fits together and tells a cohesive story for your target consumers? That’s where brand architecture strategy comes in and plays an important role in your business’ overall strategy.
Defining brand architecture strategy – what is it?
Brand architecture is all about how your brand and its sub-brands or products are structured, named, and communicated to your audience. It’s the blueprint that guides how your various brand elements relate to one another, creating clarity and a unified customer experience.
But what could this mean for your business? Why is brand architecture so important? We can break it down and explore how it can help your brand stay organised and continue to grow.
Why does brand architecture matter?
You may think that brand architecture only really applies to huge corporations with multiple product lines or brands, but that actually isn’t the case. Whether you’re running a startup with a few products or an established business with several sub-brands, having a clear brand structure can save you a lot of confusion down the line.
Here are just a few of the reasons why brand architecture is key:
Creates excellent customer experience
Having clear brand architecture helps customers navigate your products or services with ease. If your sub-brands or products are logically structured and easy to understand, it creates a smoother experience for consumers when they’re making decisions or discovering new products or services you have to offer.
Creates clarity and consistency for your business
When your brand’s structure is well thought out, it becomes easier to create a consistent message across all touchpoints. Whether it’s your website, packaging, or advertising, customers will have a clear idea of what your brand stands for and how all your offerings fit together.
Creates more efficient marketing
When you have a well-organised brand structure, you can often save time and resources by applying some of the same marketing principles to multiple products or services. Instead of creating separate branding campaigns for each offering, you could create strategies that work across multiple areas of your business – but be cautious, this should never be a one-size-fits-all approach.
Expands brand growth
As your business expands, brand architecture helps you grow in a much more organised way. It ensures that new products or services are launched smoothly, without causing confusion or diluting your main brand message. A good brand architecture strategy can also give you a clear roadmap for how to add new brands in the future.
- Build real connections with customers – We know that when people feel connected to a brand, they’re more likely to stick around, and it goes without saying that emotionally engaged customers spend much more with the brands they love.
- Makes your brand memorable – The best brand experiences don’t just grab attention, they stay with you for years and even your lifetime. There has been lots of evidence to suggest that engaging content can boost ad recall significantly, which makes it much more effective than static campaigns.
Makes people act – A solid activation strategy doesn’t just get noticed; it gets results. Whether it’s making a purchase, signing up for something, or sharing content, these strategies inspire people to take action and get involved.
Types of brand architecture
It is important to note that brand architecture isn’t a one-size-fits-all concept. Different businesses use different models based on their needs, goals, and how their products or services relate to one another, but that being said, here are the main types of brand architecture strategies that many businesses fall into:
Branded house
In this brand architecture, the company uses one main brand name across all its products or services. Everything is tied to the same core brand, and each product or service is seen as an extension of the parent company.
Great examples of this are companies like Apple or Virgin. Whether you’re using an iPhone, an iPad, or a MacBook, you know it’s all part of the same Apple family. The strength of the parent brand flows through everything, giving each product a unified look and feel.
Positives:
Clear, consistent messaging across all products or services.
In some ways, easier to manage as everything falls under one brand umbrella.
New products benefit from the strong reputation of the parent brand.
Negatives:
If something goes wrong with one product, it could negatively impact the entire brand.
Limited flexibility if you want to target very different customer segments.
Endorsed brand architecture
An endorsed brand architecture involves a parent brand that supports or endorses sub-brands, but the sub-brands still have their own distinct identities. The parent brand acts as a seal of approval, helping to build credibility for the sub-brands.
A good example of this is Marriott Hotels, which has a range of sub-brands like Courtyard by Marriott, Residence Inn by Marriott, and The Ritz-Carlton. Each hotel brand has its own identity and target market, but they’re all tied together by the Marriott name.
Positives:
Sub-brands can appeal to different customer groups without diluting the main brand.
The parent brand provides credibility and trust to the sub-brands.
More flexibility for the sub-brands to create their own unique identities.
Negatives:
The relationship between the parent brand and sub-brands can sometimes be confusing for customers.
Marketing resources might need to be divided between the parent and sub-brands.
House of brands
In a freestanding or house of brands model, the parent company owns several brands, but each operates independently with its own identity, logo, and marketing strategy. The parent brand is not usually visible to consumers, and each sub-brand targets its own market.
Take Procter & Gamble (P&G) as an example. P&G owns a wide range of brands like Tide, Pampers, Gillette, and Olay, each with its own distinct branding and target audience. The P&G name isn’t typically front-and-center in these individual brands’ marketing campaigns.
Positives:
Each brand can target a different customer segment or market without worrying about overlap.
It’s easier to make changes to one brand without affecting the others.
Minimal risk of one brand’s problems hurting the others.
Negatives:
In some cases, more resources are required to manage each brand independently.
It can often be difficult to create synergy between brands and products.
It can be harder for customers to understand how all the different brands are connected.
Hybrid brand architecture
A hybrid model combines elements from the other three architectures, creating a flexible structure that can accommodate different needs across various products or services. Some products may share the parent brand’s identity, while others may stand alone.
A good example of this is Nestlé, which has both branded products (like Nescafé) and sub-brands that exist independently (like KitKat). Nestlé is visible in some products but not others, depending on the brand strategy and suits each brand.
Positives:
This model offers flexibility and adaptability for various product types.
It also allows for differentiation between brands while still benefiting from the parent brand’s reputation.
Can serve different markets while maintaining a cohesive overall structure.
Negatives:
Managing multiple brands and their relationships can become complex.
It may be harder to create a unified customer experience across all offerings.
How to build a brand architecture strategy
As with any business strategy, creating a strong brand architecture strategy requires careful thought, planning and commitment. We always recommend getting expert help when it comes to branding – just because of how important it is to get right.
We’ve pulled together some of our top tips on how to get started with your brand architecture strategy:
1- Identify your brand’s core values and vision
This step is all about understanding what your brand is all about. What does it stand for, and what values do you want to communicate? Understanding this foundation will help guide how you structure your products and services going forwards.
2- Map out your products and sub-brands
Take all of the products, services, or sub-brands in your portfolio and put them in front of you and/or your team. Think about how they relate to one another and if they should all fall under one umbrella or have their own separate identities. Deep dive into each one to understand the target consumer and whether or not a broader brand name is more suitable than a sub-brand.
3- Choose the right architecture model
Based on your business goals, customer needs, and market dynamics, decide which brand architecture model makes the most sense to you. Will you stick with a single brand, or is it better to create multiple, distinct sub-brands? These are all things best to discuss as a team, or with us as part of our brand strategy services.
4- Make sure you have consistency and clarity
Whether you choose a branded house, house of brands, or something in between, make sure your brand structure is clear and consistent across all customer touchpoints.
5- Adapt and evolve as your business grows
Brand architecture, like any part of your branding strategy, is not a one-and-done process. As your business grows and changes, so should your brand strategy and the way you position yourselves in the market. Stay flexible and be prepared to adjust your architecture as needed, and remember help is on hand from our experts if you need it.
Brand architecture is about building a structure that supports your brand’s growth, creates clarity for your customers, and ensures consistency across all your products and services. At CHS, we specialise in helping businesses craft brand strategies that work, no matter how big or small.
Ready to bring it all to life? Reach out to one of our team to see how we can help you create unforgettable experiences.
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