Brand Architecture & Naming

This consultancy is one component of the Total Brand Review.

Incoherent brand architecture is like a slow puncture: letting air out of the tyre and making the car difficult to steer. Organisations that grow by acquisition or by developing lots of new products are especially prone. Over time the way the main brand relates to other brands (or products) becomes so complex that even their own sales teams can’t make sense of the portfolio. That’s when you know you’re bleeding value to the competition and you need to take a comb through the tangled mess. We’ve built a body of knowledge and experience in how to resolve these challenges that prevent growth. It’s the same issues that present in similar ways, across multiple clients over several years. We’ll help you grip the task and encourage you to lean into the solution.

Here's how we do it:

01 / Defining the problem

Let’s get clarity on where the issues lie. We’ll spend time consulting with you and others within the organisation to fully understand the challenges the business is facing, and define what value’s being lost as a result. It’s important to make sure we’re getting to the root cause and not just treating the symptoms.

02 / Do we have the right Architecture Structure?

Before any changes are made, we must understand where the brand equity resides. Is it in the master brand, rather than the sub-brands or product brands? And if so, is the business set up to take full advantage? We’ll audit your structures and the relationships between products, services and the corporate entity to make a series of recommendations for reorganisation. (Which is always based around a commercial objective). Sometimes we’ll sense-check these suggestions with a group of customers to make sure they’ll survive contact with the real world.

03 / Define the Naming Convention

The way organisations name new products and services should complement the main brand and ensure equity is built in one place, rather than spilt across many.  For example, if we’re building equity in the master brand, then it’s likely we’ll demonstrate how a descriptive or alphanumeric naming convention will work best.  We’ll analyse the current convention and make recommendations for change, depending on the architecture structure adopted.

04 / Operational Details

Timing

Allow 4 to 6 weeks in total.

Deliverable

We will provide a PDF document that walks you through our initial findings which clarifies the nature of the challenge, before outlining an optimal brand architecture and supporting naming convention.

Participation Requirements

Usually driven by a senior client lead with other contacts who can gather information / schedule interviews with stakeholders (if needed).

Location

This task can be completed remotely.

Cost

Starts at circa £20k ($30k).

Dig Deeper...

Explore more of our thinking and insights into brand architecture and naming.