05/30/2022

How Brand Architecture Works

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Did You Know That the Same Parent Company produces Febreze and Herbal Essences?

Crest toothpaste, Charmin toilet paper, or Crest toothpaste?

These brands might appear to come from different companies but they are not. All of these brands are part of Procter and Gamble’s brand architecture.

What’s brand architecture?

This page contains all information about branding architecture. 

  • What is brand architecture?
  • Styles and types of brand architecture
  • Why is clear brand architecture important

Keep reading to find out more!

What’s brand architecture?

The brand architecture of your company is how it organizes its assets. It shows consumers how sub-brands are integrated into larger organizations and how they relate.

There are three types of brand architecture

There are three types of branding architecture you can use to promote a business.

  1. Brand House
  2. House brand
  3. Brands approved

Let’s dive into the details of these brand architectures.

1. Brand House

The structure of the house of brands looks similar to Proctor and Gamble (P&G). It is made up of multiple brands from different industries.

The house branding architecture of brands includes master brands, which can be used for other brands in the same sector. P&G has Luvs and Pampers, two distinct diaper brands.

The brand structure is meant to protect the brands from each other. A product issue with Luvs would make headlines but not affect the credibility and credibility of Pampers or Luvs.

Through the house of branding structure, each brand can be distinguished from the master brand.

Companies that use the house of branding architecture don’t promote multiple brands. 

A master brand might not promote multiple brands in the same industry to avoid influencing pricing and quality opinions. To maintain brand image, it is best to keep them apart.

2. Branded House

Multiple entities may be part of a brand that shares the same brand name. This is known as branded house architecture.

Apple is an excellent example. Apple’s brand architecture also includes

  • Apple Music
  • Apple Watch
  • Apple TV
  • Apple iPhone
  • Apple iPad
  • Apple iMac

These products can be identified as Apple-branded because they carry the name of the master brands.

This structure allows companies to offer related products or services to the master brands. A company might be a brand that provides household cleaning services or beauty products.

The branded structure focuses on areas that are closely related to the original company. They sell technology products such as tablets, smartphones, and digital watches.

Apple wouldn’t create a food product line if it wasn’t in keeping with its brand.

This brand architecture allows brands to build and increase brand loyalty.

3. Brands approved

The last type of endorsed brand structure we will discuss is

Kellogg’s is an example of an endorsed brand structure. All of these brands have Kellogg branding attached.

These brands are endorsed by Kellogg’s. The logo can be seen on the packaging to let you know that it is a Kellogg product. 

Sibling brands and master brands both can benefit from the endorsed brand architecture. The master branding trust helps to build products and strengthens the master brand.

What’s the significance of brand architecture?

It’s easy to think that brand architecture only applies to larger businesses if you look at examples of each type. Small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), like yours, still have the potential to benefit from brand architecture when organizing their offerings. 

These are just a few of the many benefits a brand architecture brings to your business.

1. Marketing costs can be reduced

A brand architecture will help you lower your marketing costs. Market more effectively if you have better organization.

Cross-promotion can be achieved by creating a brand structure. 

2. Refine your messaging

It is important to communicate the right message to your customers when marketing your business. 

This is useful for companies that offer multiple products or services, or have many companies under one roof. You can see the connections between entities.

Brand positioning is essential to effectively market your company. Targeting your audience can help you create better messaging and save money.

3. Know your market position

Brand architecture can help you understand your business’s position in the market. Breaking down your company into its constituent entities can give you a better picture of your business.

When you’ve recently acquired two businesses, you can create a brand architecture to see how they fit into your master brand. This will help you understand your market and market your business more effectively.

About the author

Kobe Digital is a unified team of performance marketing, design, and video production experts. Our mastery of these disciplines is what makes us effective. Our ability to integrate them seamlessly is what makes us unique.