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PROPRIETARY Brand Architecture and Expression System by Michael Million

Brand architecture and expression system

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PROPRIETARY

Brand Architecture and Expression System

by Michael Million

PROPRIETARY

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As Company X evolves its portfolio toward higher-value solutions, the way the company manages its brand must also evolve. From Portfolio Strategy down to Brand Activation, we recommend using a basic roadmap for building and maintaining strong brands.

Macro Strategy: Business and Brand Portfolio Strategy

Portfolio Strategy is focused on how a company should define its portfolio to maximize profitability. It determines the number, scope and strategic role for each equity within the portfolio.

Micro Strategy: Brand Position and Architecture

Positioning identifies the key benefits and promise that drive the marketplace perception of each equity. On a parallel track, Brand Architecture defines the optimal relationship among equities, guiding the manner and extent to which any given equity is linked to another.

Brand Conception

The Big Idea is the market-facing vision that pays off the equity positioning, while Brand Expression is the articulation of the Brand Architecture, providing the principles for expressing the Big Idea in the market. Brand Activation

Brand Activation is how we bring the brand to life through a variety of touchpoints.

Lead:

Lead: Lead:

Lead: Lead:

Lead: Lead: Lead: Lead: Lead:

Portfolio Strategy (Company X Business Blueprint)

EquityPositioning

BrandArchitecture

Big Idea

Brand Expression(The creation and

management of visual identity, content,

design, naming and lexicon)

Enablement

Advertising Events DemandGeneration

Social

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Once a company develops a solid Portfolio Strategy, it must develop a Brand Architecture that defines the optimal relationships among equities in the portfolio.

Brand Portfolio Strategy

Articulates the optimal number, scope, and role for every brand/equity in the portfolio.

Brand Architecture—What it is

A comprehensive depiction of the optimal relationship between any given brand/equity and the master brand.

Brand Architecture—What it does

• Determines whether any given product, service or other entity should be “branded.”

• Dictates the kind of brand any given product, service or other entity should assume (i.e., relationship to master brand).

• Provides rules and guidance for developing a visual identity (or other expression) system, naming and managing acquired equities.

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From Branded House to House of Brands, there is a basic continuum of Brand Architectures. Company X skews toward the Branded House end of the spectrum.

• Very strong reliance on (and emphasis of) Corporate Brand

• Product brands are very often “descriptive” in nature

• Corporate Brand may or may not be externally relevant

• Product brands “stand alone”; have strong equity of their own

Branded House House of Brands

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However, a Branded House isn’t always as simple as it sounds. Within the category is another continuum defined by the extent to which any given equity can deviate from the master brand.

Client Segments FEW MANY

Equity Differentiation HOMOGENOUS HETEROGENOUS

Investments in Individual Equities LOW HIGH

Brand Management Capability SIMPLE COMPLEX

Brand Expression UNIFORM UNIFIED

NO DEGREES OF FLEXIBILITY MODERATE DEGREES OF FLEXIBILITY

Branded House House of Brands

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What kind of Branded House a company informs what types of brands it contains. It also guides the brand management system.

POTENTIAL Company X BRAND TYPOLOGY

Equity Type Definition Illustrative Examples

Master Brand A brand that serves as the primary frame of reference, often carrying the corporate name

Co-brand An equity overtly linked to the master brand, receiving equal emphasis vis-à-vis the master (i.e. logo lock)

Endorsed Equity

An equity that is endorsed by the master brand, deriving benefit from it by virtue of the association

Descriptive Equity

An equity that is purely functional/descriptive in nature, with a logo lock to the master brand.

Stand-alone Equity

A brand that stands independent from the master brand with no overt or implicit link to the master

Un-branded Equity

A brand that stands independent from the master brand with no overt or implicit link to the master

Strategic Outsourcing

Company X Software

ILLUSTRATIVE BRAND HIERARCHY

Master Brand

Co-brandEndorsed

Equity DescriptiveEquity

Un-brandedEquity

Stand-aloneEquity

Netezza by

Company X

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The ongoing management of the brands within an architecture requires a variety of decision-making tools. These tools help brand managers to determine the extent to which different equities require branding, while ensuring the ongoing optimal relationship among brands.

1. Revenue

ConsiderationDoes the equity have direct revenue-generating responsibility?

2. Market Need

Does the equity offer a differentiated POV in the marketplace?

3. Competitive

ConsiderationDoes the equity hold competitive precedence that establishes independence from the Company X Master Brand?

4. Equity Flow

Is the equity charged with infusing unique equity into the Company X Master Brand?

5. Risk

Does association with the equity place potential risk on Company X?

Determination

Stand-alone Equity

Co-brand Equity

Endorsed Equity

DescriptiveEquity

Un-brandedEquity

MARKET EVENTS THAT REQUIRE BRANDING DECISIONS

ILLUSTRATIVE TOOL FOR BRANDING DECISIONS

Develop Initial ArchitectureLaunch New Product/ServiceAcquire Company/Business UnitCreate New Program

YES

START

NO

YES

NO

YES

NO

YES

NO

YES

NO

Requires Brand Decisions

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Once completed,

the Brand Architecture serves as a snapshot of the business and its brands. From the master brand, down to the level of individual offerings, it outlines the depth and variety of brand relationships required across the portfolio.

ILLUSTRATIVE BRAND HIERARCHY

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Ultimately, the Brand Architecture will inform the rules by which the Expression System should be governed. Specifically, it will guide the development of a system that will:

1. Demonstrate how Company X ’s master brand should be leveraged and adapted to support the key brands/equities in which Company X invests.

2. Create a strategic and meaningful relationship among all the equities in which Company X invests.

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This is one approach for how we coulddevelop the Company X Brand Architecture in support of the various Expression Systems.

1. Assessment

& Discovery

2. Hypothesis

Development

3. Strategy

Development

4. Migration

Plan & Tools

BRAND ARCHITECTURE EXPRESSION SYSTEM

Visual Identity

Content

Design

Naming

Lexicon

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External Perspective Internal Perspective

Challenges:• Different perspectives on what is and is not a brand• Brand architecture is not currently supporting value

proposition

Opportunities:• New brand has a lot of awareness/equity with

customers that can be leveraged into new products and line extensions

• Corporate brand is a potentially another under utilized asset

Sample Current State Assessment What it Will Provide…

• Understanding of how the architecture supports the overall business strategy/vision

• Understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the current architecture

• Understanding of the current management challenges which resulted in the current state architecture

What it Will Enable…

• Identification of new architecture alternatives

• Recommendations for improving the brand management process

Step 1 – Assessment & Discovery Activities:

• Gather existing data, identify data gaps

• Conduct management interviews

• Conduct competitor audit and BA benchmarking

• Illustrate and analyze current brand architecture from both an internal and customer perspective

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Corporate Brand

BU/ProductBrands

Volume & Direction – how much equity is being shared/ transferred?

Equity Flow – do the brands share and/or transfer equities between them?

Corporate Brand

BU/ProductBrands

?

Polarity – does one brand send or absorb more of the equity?

Corporate Brand

BU/ProductBrands

(-/+)

Intensity – how indelible are the shared/transferred associations?

Corporate Brand

BU/ProductBrands

Step 2 – Hypothesis DevelopmentActivities:

• Determine how brand equity currently flows, and how it ideally should flow going forward

• Frame up the architecture—determine the organizing principle and optimal hierarchy

• Generate 2-3 architecture alternatives using the chosen framework. Create illustrative examples of identity system for each, along with the pros and cons

What it Will Provide…

• Understanding of what is driving the overall architecture options

• Clear pictures of different options, including how these options would be brought to life through name changes, linkages, etc.

What it Will Enable…

• Making the best decision based on a thorough assessment, which can then more easily be sold in throughout the organization

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Sample Recommended ArchitectureStep 3 –Strategy DevelopmentActivities:

• Conduct multiple iterative cross-agency working sessions to determine optimal brand architecture for Company X

• Evaluate each alternative against pre-determined criteria

• Select and finalize the brand architecture

• Clarify scope and strategic intent for key brands within the architecture

What it Will Provide…

• Final architecture recommendation

• Clear articulation and examples of how it will be brought to life

• Process for garnering organizational buy-in

What it Will Enable…

• Begin to sell-in and implement the new and improved architecture

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Step 4 –Migration Plan & ToolsActivities:

• Finalize and socialize brand architecture recommendation

• Outline migration plan for achieving architecture destination

• Develop decisions trees, naming guidelines, other tool kits, governance and management tools to manage future architecture decisions

What it Will Provide…

• Understanding of all key touchpoints impacted by the architecture recommendation

• Optimal way to make the transition to the new architecture

• Tools such as brand guidelines and decisions trees

• Steps to build new visual identity system (if necessary)

What it Will Enable…

• Ensure implementation of the architecture begins immediately

• Equips Company X organization with the tools necessary to aid future decision-making