How do you manage brand architecture during a rebranding process?

2 How to choose the right brand architecture model for your rebranding

When restructuring your brand portfolio and communicating your value proposition to your target audience, there are various types of brand architecture models to choose from. Monolithic or branded house is a model that relies on a single master brand for all products and services, with minimal or no sub-branding. It's suitable for rebranding when you want to leverage the equity and recognition of your corporate brand, or when you offer a consistent customer experience. Endorsed or sub-branded is a model that combines a master brand and sub-brands, allowing for varying degrees of autonomy and differentiation. This is ideal when you want to enjoy the benefits of a strong corporate brand as well as the flexibility of sub-brands, or when you offer a complex range of offerings. Lastly, pluralistic or house of brands is a model that uses independent and distinct sub-brands, with little or no reference to the corporate brand. This is best suited for rebranding when you want to maximize the marketability of each sub-brand, or when you operate in different segments with different customer needs.

3 How to evaluate your existing brand architecture before rebranding

Prior to changing your brand architecture, you need to evaluate your existing one and identify its strengths and weaknesses. To do this, you can use criteria and tools such as assessing brand relevance, clarity, synergy, and efficiency. Brand relevance looks at how well your brand architecture reflects customer needs and compares to competitors and industry trends. Brand clarity examines how consistent your brand architecture is in conveying your value proposition, positioning, and differentiation. Brand synergy evaluates how well your corporate brand and sub-brands leverage equity and recognition. Lastly, brand efficiency considers the cost-effectiveness of your brand architecture in terms of resources, operations, and communication. All of these criteria can help you understand how your brand architecture is supporting growth and innovation objectives.

4 How to implement your new brand architecture after rebranding

Choosing the right brand architecture model for your rebranding is only the first step. To ensure a smooth and successful transition, you must implement it effectively and consistently across your internal and external touchpoints. Start by communicating your rebranding vision and rationale to stakeholders, explaining the benefits and value of the new brand architecture. You should also update your visual and verbal identity to reflect this new architecture. When you're ready, launch your new brand architecture with a well-planned marketing campaign. Utilize different media and platforms to showcase your new identity, engage with your target audience, and measure the impact of your rebranding efforts. Make any necessary adjustments as you go.

5 How to avoid common mistakes and pitfalls when rebranding your brand architecture

Rebranding your brand architecture can be a difficult and risky endeavor, so it's important to plan and execute it carefully and strategically. Common mistakes to avoid include rebranding without a clear purpose or objective, without proper research and analysis, without stakeholder involvement and buy-in, and without consistency and continuity. Rebranding should be driven by a compelling reason that supports your business strategy, informed by data and insights, involve key stakeholders, and be done in a coherent and cohesive way. Doing so will help preserve and enhance your brand equity and recognition.

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?