You may be given the task of making an investment to get your company's brand architecture strategy right. However, brand architecture is a very broad term, and different companies have different needs at different stages of their development.

So, you need to be smart about the brand architecture assignment you scope, the skill sets of the branding firm you pick, and the requirements and expectations of the engagement.

What Is Brand Architecture?

The general definition is that brand architecture is the way in which the lines of business of a company go to market in relation to the parent brand, to one another, and possibly to co-brand partners as well.

The benefit of a brand-architecture strategy is that it clarifies those relationships, making it easier for customers and other stakeholders to easily find and differentiate a company's businesses, products, and services.

In a nutshell, brand architecture is intended to build simpler and more effective brands.

Let's consider various brand architecture scenarios.

Acquisition brand architecture

Brand architecture comes into play when you need to integrate a new business into your company. In these situations, you'll need to resolve some very strategic business issues. Related questions include...

  • Does the acquisition brand fit well with your current brand positioning and capabilities?
  • Will current and prospective customers of the acquired business feel OK about doing business under your brand name?
  • Is your company ready to implement a seamless integration—IT, cultural, marketing, costs, etc.?

Ideally, you can answer yes to these questions, and the acquired brand can smoothly become part of your family.

However, this isn't always the case. For example:

  • It may be desirable for competitive channel or other reasons to keep distance between the acquisition and your company, perhaps with a sub-brand endorsement approach rather than a master-brand approach.
  • Your company may not immediately be seen as a credible parent for what the acquisition represents
  • Internal cultural issues may need to be resolved.
  • It may take some time to migrate.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

image of Jeff Lapatine

Jeff Lapatine is a strategy director in brand development for Siegel+Gale.

LinkedIn: Jeff Lapatine