strategies for Brand Building 5. Fit with Culture: Brands often connect with what's rea eccociations ties itself to something people find cool or important, it eh Bees or, aligning oi Might mean using popular influencers, tying Into current PVT cultural values. Being in tune with culture helps stay in people > : Brand Architecture When thinking about adding a new brand or product, itis itwill sit within your organization. Imagine that your organizal determine: iY Where will your brand be located within the architecture of t ii) Which role will each brand play? iii) What will be its relationship with other brands, if any? The answers to these questions will guide you in choosing an important concept for Your organisation. This concept is known as brand architecture framework. Meaning and Definition of Brand Architecture Grand architecture is howa company organizes and structuresits brands and products It’s like creating a map to show how different brands, products, or services relate to one another within the same company,Think of it as a way to organize different pieces of a puslle so that cstomners-an casi understand what each part of the company offers. Brand architecture provides a framework for managing multiple brands within an organization, as well as a guide for creating new brands. Thus, brand architecture is the framework that defines how a company’s brand portfolio will be structured. In short, (orand architecture is the framework that organizes and defines the relationships between ‘@ company’s brands, sub-brands, products, and services. Types of Brand Architecture There are a number of different types of brand architecture, each offering a different conceptual framework for your brand portfolio. The common types of brand architecture may be discussed below : 1. Branded House (Monolithic Brand Architecture): In this model, all products or services are closely tied to the main brand. The parent brand is the star (master brand), All Sub-brands use the same name or very similar names. Thus, Ina branded house model, all of the sub-brands fall under the umbrella of the parent company. The parent company’s name and reputation are used to promote and sell all of the products, For example; Google) uses this structure. Google owns several services like Google Maps, Google Drive, Google Photos, and Google Chrome. They all carry the Google namé. This means the brand is unified and recognizable. Apple, FedEx Corporation, etc., also use this brand architecture. crucial to understand where tion is a house. You have to hat house? © scanned with OKEN Scannergrond Equity and Loyaiy Branded House Architecture ~ *Aath 5 a8 Strengths to | (a) {tis easier for consumers to recognize the products and to understand them. am (b) It increases brand awareness. Cee {c) It reduces marketing costs. Coe Weaknesses 5 (a) Ifa product/service goes through a crisis, the whole brand may suffer. (b) It is less flexible. 2. House of Brands (Freestanding Brand Architecture) : In this model, each product or service has a completely different name and operates independently from the parent brand. The parent brand might not even be visible to customers. Thus, in a house of brands model, each sub-brand has its name, identity, and equity. The parent company’s name is not used to promote or sell the products. There is a parent brand that customers may or may not know about it. The parent brand is only important to the investors. An example is Procter & Gamble (P&G). P&G owns brands like Tide, Pampers, and Gillette Each brand has its ow! ry and doesn’t use the P&G name. The House of Brands Architecture © scanned with OKEN ScannerStrategies for Brand Buildin, 9 Strengths (a) There is freedom to create unique positioning, Identity: experience for each brang t distinct market segments with specialized valu, (b) It is possible to precisely tar propositions affect other brands. the future with additional brand, (©) Any negative impact on one brand does not (a) itis possible to easily diversify the business In Weaknesses fa) Bach brand within the portfolio requires its own strategy, marketing, website, etc (b) The costs of branding, marketing, and promotional efforts are more brand are not transferrable to othe, (©) Any successes or positive associations of one brands in the portfolio () There is a confusion as to which is the best representation of the business. 3. Endorsed Brand Architecture : In this structures each product has its own name but & “endorsed” of supported by the parent brand. The sub-brands are separate but are linked to the parent brand. So customers know they belong to the same company. Thus, the parent company's name is used to promote and sell the products, but the sub-brands have their own names and identities. A good exampleis Nestle Nestle has many sub-brands like Kitkat, Milo, ete. Each has its own identity, but they are still tied to the Nestle name. Endorsed Brand Architecture “9360 . eee’ (we | | re Strengths (a) It increases consumers’ perception and confidence. (b) Marketing activities and advertisement benefit both the brands and the parent brar (c) Thereis freedom to create unique positioning, identity and experience for each brat © scanned with OKEN Scannergrond Equity and Loyalty Weaknesses (a) Ifa brand goes through can extend to the parent (b) Each brand within the etc. 8 crisis itis difficult to control the damage because the crisi t brand and also to the other brands Portfolio still requires its own strategy, marketing, website, (c) The Costs of branding, marketing, and promotional efforts are more. 4 Hybrid Brand Architecture : in a hybrid model, some of the sub-brands use the Parent company’s name, while others have their names and identities. Hybrid brand architecture Isa mixof the branded house, house of brands, and endorsed models. Thus, in this model, some products will use the parent company’s name while others will be marketed under a sub-brand. For example, Microsoft isa hybrid brand. Some of Microsoft's sub-brands, such as Xbox and Skype, use the Microsoft name, while others, such as Bing and Office 365, have their names and identities. Other ‘example are Toyota, Marriott Hotels, etc. Hybrid Brand Architecture | WESTIN ® MARRIOTT sueraron BONVOY Strengths (a) It is more flexible. (b) It offers the freedom to create unique positioning, identity, experience for eact brand. (c) It is possible to precisely target distinct market segments with specialized valu: propositions. Weaknesses ) There are chances of customer confusion. Each brand within the portfolio still requires its own strategy, marketing, websit etc. e costs of branding, marketing, and promotional efforts are more. © scanned with OKEN ScannerStrategies for Brand Building Steps to Create a Solid Brand Architecture Strategy Following steps are involved in creating a brand architecture strategy : 1, Conduct research : The first step is to do your research. You need to understand you; ‘company, your products, and your target market. 2. Define your brand : Once you have done your research, you need to define your brand. What are your core values? What makes you unique? What do you want to be known for? Seek answers for the above questions through research 3, Developa branding strategy : Once you have defined your brand, you need to develop a branding strategy. This will help you create a consistent brand identity across ali media. 4 Create a brand architecture model ; The next step is to choose the right brand architecture model for your business. 5S. Implement your brand architecture : After you have chosen the right model for your business, you need to implement it. This includes creating guidelines and processes for using your brand architecture. 6. Monitor and adjust : The final step is to monitor your brand architecture and make adjustments as needed. This will help you ensure that your brand remains relevant and aligned with your business goals. Importance of Brand Architecture Awell-implemented brand architecture brings many benefits. Some of them are : 1L“‘Increased clarity in the marketplace: Building a brand architecture helps people understand your organization and brands the way you want them to. It will achieve clarity of product offerings for all stakeholders, including consumers and employees. Increased revenue through cross-selling: A well-defined framework allows brands to feed off each other with attractive goods and value propositions tailored to an array of audiences. If a company can deliver a positive experience with one brand, it offers many opportunities for its related partners within the brand portfolio. Increased brand equity : All brands serving a specific niche will ultimately drive growth and positively promote the parent company. The Parent company has consequently more ability to generate new revenue, expand its customer base. This increases the entire organization's value (= brand equity). ¢ Better company culture : Employees understand their brand’s place in the bigger picture and feel more included. Thus, brand architecture creates a sense of belonging. ‘fective expansion of product lines : Brand architecture can help companies expand leir product or service lines effectively. By creating a system in which each sub- © scanned with OKEN Scanner