How do you map your organization's brand architecture?

1 Define your brand vision and strategy

Before you map your brand architecture, you need to have a clear vision and strategy for your overall brand. What is your brand purpose, promise, and personality? How do you want to position your brand in the market and in the minds of your customers? What are your brand values and attributes? How do you measure your brand performance and success? These questions will help you define your brand vision and strategy, which will inform your brand architecture decisions.

2 Identify your brand portfolio and hierarchy

Next, you need to identify your brand portfolio, which is the set of products or services that you offer under one or more brands. You also need to determine your brand hierarchy, which is the level of prominence and connection that each brand has with the parent or master brand. There are different types of brand architecture models, such as branded house, house of brands, hybrid, or endorsed, that you can use to structure your brand portfolio and hierarchy. The best model for you depends on factors such as your target segments, competitive landscape, product diversity, and brand equity.

3 Assess your brand relationships and roles

Once you have your brand portfolio and hierarchy, you need to assess how your brands relate to each other and to the parent or master brand. What are the benefits and risks of having multiple brands in the same or different categories? How do your brands support or compete with each other? How do your brands enhance or dilute your brand equity? What are the roles and responsibilities of each brand in achieving your business objectives and satisfying your customer needs? These questions will help you evaluate your brand relationships and roles, and identify any gaps or overlaps in your brand architecture.

4 Create your brand guidelines and visual identity

After you have assessed your brand relationships and roles, you need to create your brand guidelines and visual identity for each brand in your portfolio. Your brand guidelines should define the name, logo, tagline, tone of voice, messaging, and personality of each brand, as well as the rules and standards for using them across different channels and touchpoints. Your visual identity should reflect the essence, values, and attributes of each brand, as well as the degree of similarity or differentiation with the parent or master brand. Your brand guidelines and visual identity should help you create a consistent and coherent brand experience for your customers.

5 Implement and manage your brand architecture

Finally, you need to implement and manage your brand architecture across your organization and in the market. You need to align your internal stakeholders, such as your employees, partners, and suppliers, with your brand vision, strategy, and guidelines. You also need to communicate your brand architecture to your external stakeholders, such as your customers, prospects, and media, through your marketing and communication activities. You need to monitor and measure your brand performance, awareness, perception, and loyalty, and adjust your brand architecture as needed to respond to changes in your business environment, customer preferences, and market dynamics.

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?