How do you manage brand architecture in a complex organization?

1 Assess your current situation

The first step is to analyze your existing brand portfolio and understand how it aligns with your business goals, customer needs, and market dynamics. You can use tools such as brand audits, customer surveys, and competitor analysis to evaluate the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of your current brand architecture. You should also identify the gaps, overlaps, and inconsistencies that might confuse or dilute your brand message.

2 Choose your brand architecture model

The next step is to decide what type of brand architecture model best suits your organization and its offerings. There are three main models to consider: house of brands, branded house, and hybrid. A house of brands is when you have a collection of distinct and independent sub-brands, each with its own identity, target audience, and positioning. A branded house is when you have a single master brand that dominates your portfolio, and all your sub-brands share its name, logo, and values. A hybrid is when you have a combination of both approaches, depending on the degree of association and differentiation you want to create between your sub-brands.

3 Define your brand roles and relationships

The third step is to clarify the roles and relationships of your sub-brands within your brand architecture. You should determine how each sub-brand contributes to your overall brand equity, how it supports or complements other sub-brands, and how it appeals to different customer segments. You should also establish the rules and guidelines for naming, logo design, visual identity, and messaging for each sub-brand, and how they relate to your master brand.

4 Communicate your brand architecture internally and externally

The fourth step is to communicate your brand architecture to your internal and external stakeholders, and ensure that they understand and embrace it. You should educate and train your employees, partners, and distributors on the rationale, benefits, and implications of your brand architecture, and provide them with the tools and resources to implement it consistently. You should also communicate your brand architecture to your customers, prospects, and influencers, and demonstrate how it delivers value, solves problems, and creates loyalty.

5 Monitor and evolve your brand architecture over time

The final step is to monitor and evolve your brand architecture over time, as your organization, market, and customer preferences change. You should measure and track the performance, awareness, and perception of your sub-brands, and identify any issues or opportunities that might require adjustments or innovations. You should also review and update your brand architecture periodically, and ensure that it remains relevant, coherent, and effective.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?