<div class="gn-article"><div class="gn-hero gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-hero__image"><img src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/687a235da6861294eec73166/68fa124c1c4ad0d3d575bfdd_651d3d5c1a51aefff99bc5f2_645d33bb7b3b815ec36e7771_brand%252520principles%252520header.png" alt=""></div> <div class="gn-hero__head"> <span class="gn-kicker"><span class="dot"></span>News</span> <h1 class="gn-title">Round-up: The Foundations of a Strong Brand Architecture for your Business</h1> <div class="gn-meta"> <strong>The GO Network</strong> <span class="pip"></span> <span>14 May 2023</span> <span class="pip"></span> <span>6 min read</span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="gn-body"> <p class="gn-lede gn-reveal">With saturated markets and constantly <strong>shifting audience expectations</strong>, a cohesive, clear brand identity is more important than ever.</p> <div class="gn-stats gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-stat"><span class="gn-stat__num">3.5<em>×</em></span><span class="gn-stat__label">More visibility from a strong brand architecture.</span></div> <div class="gn-stat"><span class="gn-stat__num">23<em>%</em></span><span class="gn-stat__label">Increase in revenue from consistency in brand presentation.</span></div> <div class="gn-stat"><span class="gn-stat__num">90<em>%</em></span><span class="gn-stat__label">Of potential customers expect a similar experience across all mediums.</span></div> </div> <p class="gn-reveal">In our latest workshop, 'The Principles of Brand Architecture – Creating and Delivering a Cohesive, Consolidated Brand', our experts share the <strong>core principles of a strong brand hierarchy</strong>, how to deliver a branding project and <strong>common mistakes to avoid</strong>, along with guidance for enhancing <strong>your</strong> brand over time.</p> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong>Our experts:</strong></p> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong>Stephen Brunt</strong>, Planning Director, <strong>The Behaviours Agency</strong></p> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong>Becky Holland</strong>, CEO, <strong>BH&amp;P (Becky Holland &amp; Partners)</strong></p> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong>Ian Flynn</strong>, Executive Creative Director, <strong>RocketMill</strong></p> <div class="gn-divider gn-reveal" aria-hidden="true"></div> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">01</span>Framing your brand architecture in 2023</h2> <p class="gn-reveal">In today's increasingly competitive markets, your brand identity plays a vital role in <strong>differentiating your business</strong> from the rest by enforcing <strong>consistency</strong> across all your marketing ventures, including an <strong>ever-constant</strong> brand message to the same, recognisable styles and designs.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">However, as businesses grow with the <strong>launch of expanding product lines</strong>, new market interests and the creation of sub-brands their overall identity can become somewhat <strong>complicated or confusing</strong> to both internal investors and its customers.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">Brand architecture, in short, is the <strong>organisational hierarchy of a company's parent-brand, sub-brands, products or/and services</strong> – acting as a framework that connects each sub-sector to ensure consistency and clearly communicate their affiliation to intended audiences.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">Below our experts discuss the main reasons brand architecture can shift or dilute in 2023.</p> <figure class="gn-fig gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-fig__media"> <div class="w-richtext-figure-type-video w-richtext-align-fullwidth" style="padding-bottom:56.33802816901409%" data-rt-type="video" data-rt-align="fullwidth" data-rt-max-width="" data-rt-max-height="56.33802816901409%" data-rt-dimensions="426:240" data-page-url="https://vimeo.com/826254962"><div><iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/826254962" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></div></div> </div> <figcaption>Workshop clip: experts discuss why brand architecture shifts or dilutes.</figcaption> </figure> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">02</span>The foundations of a strong brand architecture for your business</h2> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Steve's six principles of brand architecture</h3> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong>#1 – Respect the Past</strong></p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"There's a reason why your differentiating brands exists, there's a <strong>degree of equity</strong> that's built up so respect its value."<cite>Stephen Brunt · Planning Director, The Behaviours Agency</cite></blockquote> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong>#2 – Anticipate the Future</strong></p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"You can't completely future proof everything, but you must <strong>build on the assumption</strong> that change is coming. There is no point constructing an architecture that doesn't allow for any flexibility."<cite>Stephen Brunt · Planning Director, The Behaviours Agency</cite></blockquote> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong>#3 – Find Common Ground</strong></p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"You want the <strong>brand identity to flow through</strong> your hierarchy, therefore that notion of commonality between each 'sub-sector' can help strengthen your brand architecture."<cite>Stephen Brunt · Planning Director, The Behaviours Agency</cite></blockquote> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong>#4 – Embrace the Differences</strong></p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"The whole point of the architecture is to embrace those differences and identify <strong>the need</strong> for difference from common ground."<cite>Stephen Brunt · Planning Director, The Behaviours Agency</cite></blockquote> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong>#5 – See it from the Customer's Perspective</strong></p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"From an external perspective, your brand architecture should <strong>clarity</strong> your overall brand positioning."<cite>Stephen Brunt · Planning Director, The Behaviours Agency</cite></blockquote> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong>#6 – Accept the Exceptions</strong></p> <aside class="gn-quote gn-reveal"><q>There isn't a perfect brand architecture. You must find a way to accept that something doesn't fit, and find a way to get that in.</q><cite>Stephen Brunt · Planning Director, The Behaviours Agency</cite></aside> <h3 class="gn-reveal">The impact of a 'Branded House' vs. a 'House of Brands' approach</h3> <p class="gn-reveal">There are several different methods to brand architecture, each offering a <strong>distinguished conceptual framework</strong> for your brand portfolio.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">A '<strong>Branded House</strong>' approach includes a pinnacle master brand (or 'umbrella' brand) with a collection of products or sub-brands that branch off from this, each under the name of the master brand.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">A '<strong>House of Brands</strong>' approach consists of a collection of distinct, individual brands under a parent company that often has very little external exposure.</p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"Both approaches can work, but adopting one over the other should <strong>depend on your circumstances</strong> – i.e., sector, size, and challenges. 'Branded House' relies on the <strong>equity of that master brand</strong>, organisations such as <strong>Virgin</strong> or <strong>Apple</strong> benefit from this approach as they've taken the time to bring their master brand to life and they're using that equity to trickle down into other products or services. Executing a 'Branded House' approach too early, could mean greater <strong>risk of fragmentation</strong>."<cite>Ian Flynn · Executive Creative Director, RocketMill</cite></blockquote> <figure class="gn-fig gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-fig__media"><img src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/687a235da6861294eec73166/68fa124b1c4ad0d3d575bfc8_6460f390218cc2492343d790_Becky.png" alt="Becky Holland, CEO of BH&P on Brand Architecture"></div> <figcaption>Becky Holland, CEO of BH&amp;P, speaking on brand architecture.</figcaption> </figure> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"A 'House of Brands' approach is <strong>more expensive</strong> because you must put an equal amount of effort in <strong>nurturing all those brands individually</strong> and separately. This often works on a bigger scale as global organisations have the expenditure and resources to work this way. So, my advice is to be cognizant of where your company is at their journey. How mature is it? How many people know your brand? And <strong>are you at a stage where you can start fragmenting?</strong>"<cite>Ian Flynn · Executive Creative Director, RocketMill</cite></blockquote> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Keeping distinct identities across your brand hierarchy – and when to consolidate?</h3> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"If you have separate teams that are responsible for <strong>managing</strong> <strong>your sub-brands and loyal customers</strong>, this can enforce a case for keeping things distinct, at least in the in the first instance."<cite>Becky Holland · CEO, BH&amp;P</cite></blockquote> <p class="gn-reveal">Yet when deciding to keep distinct identities across your brand hierarchy or when to consolidate, <strong>Becky</strong> adds you should ask yourself:</p> <aside class="gn-callout gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-callout__label">What this means for you</div> <h4>Key questions when deciding to keep distinct identities or consolidate.</h4> <ul> <li><strong>What's the vision that sits behind the parent or master brand?</strong></li> <li><strong>What's the purpose and the target audience for the sub-brands?</strong></li> <li><strong>And what is the relationship between each brand?</strong></li> </ul> </aside> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"Essentially, if there is a clear <strong>differentiation in purpose and audience</strong> of each sub-brand then there is a rationale for keeping things distinct. But if your sub-brands serve a similar purpose and target relatable audiences, then there is a <strong>strong rationale to consolidate</strong> under one master brand. But layer on to that <strong>the context, the cost, the resources, the size, and maturity</strong> of the brand. As in reality, it's much easier and efficient to build trust in a master brand and leverage off from that."<cite>Becky Holland · CEO, BH&amp;P</cite></blockquote> <div class="gn-divider gn-reveal" aria-hidden="true"></div> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">03</span>Reinforcing the integrity of your brand – and external support</h2> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong>90% of potential customers</strong> expect to have a similar experience with your brand across all mediums with a disjointed experience often resulting in an <strong>immediate loss of brand trust</strong>.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">To summarise, <strong>consistency builds credibility</strong> which reinforces the integrity of a brand.</p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"It's about understanding the balance between the master and the sub-brands – <strong>what is shaping internal behaviours</strong> versus what is shaping representation outside. Therefore, <strong>integrity is maintained by a clear understanding of both</strong> – and asking yourself why am I behaving the way I behave? And why am I representing myself the way I represent myself?"<cite>Stephen Brunt · Planning Director, The Behaviours Agency</cite></blockquote> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Where to start with external support</h3> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"<strong>We look at it externally more than internally</strong>. If there's a more qualitative survey available on the perception of the brand, through socials, email etc, those can act as indicators that the brand needs to be looked at and perhaps the way that it's being <strong>communicated</strong> isn't as good as it can be. So that tends to be the starting point for us of opening the broad box of brand and allowing the rest to stem from that."<cite>Ian Flynn · Executive Creative Director, RocketMill</cite></blockquote> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"Initial conversations should be about insight and understanding. So, the first question I would ask is what's the biggest challenge or opportunity that you're facing today? And <strong>why do you feel your brand, or your brand architecture is holding you back?</strong> Arguably that <strong>initial brand audit is the most critical piece,</strong> but it doesn't need to be a long, 6-month project, it can be as simple as contacting your top five clients and five that got away to ask <strong>why you work with us</strong> or why don't you for each of your sub-brands."<cite>Becky Holland · CEO, BH&amp;P</cite></blockquote> <p class="gn-reveal"><em>If you're investing in a brand strategy this year, make sure you're getting the most from your time. The GO Network offer cost-free agency recommendations, pitch management, and more.</em></p> </div></div> <aside class="gn-related gn-reveal" data-auto="related-reading"> <div class="gn-related__label">Related reading</div> <ul class="gn-related__list"> <li class="gn-related__item"> <a href="/articles/standing-out-from-the-market-with-visual-branding" class="gn-related__link"> <span class="gn-related__category">Expression</span> <span class="gn-related__title">Standing Out from the Market with Visual Branding</span> <span class="gn-related__excerpt">Assess your identity&#39;s impact, build consistency across digital and offline, and avoid common mistakes when running a visual brand update pr</span> </a> </li> <li class="gn-related__item"> <a href="/articles/round-up-6-ways-to-drive-differentiation-through-your-marketing-strategy" class="gn-related__link"> <span class="gn-related__category">Expression</span> <span class="gn-related__title">Round-up: 6 ways to drive differentiation through your marketing strategy</span> <span class="gn-related__excerpt">Six agency leaders share how to identify your USPs, build brand recognition, and turn points of difference into a standout marketing strateg</span> </a> </li> <li class="gn-related__item"> <a href="/articles/the-principles-of-brand-architecture-creating-and-delivering-a-cohesive-consolidated-brand" class="gn-related__link"> <span class="gn-related__category">Expression</span> <span class="gn-related__title">The Principles of Brand Architecture - Creating and Delivering a Cohesive, Consolidated Brand</span> <span class="gn-related__excerpt">Build a cohesive brand hierarchy from the ground up. 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