The Brand Relationship Spectrum

The classic manager dealt with simple structures in part because he or she was faced with a relatively simple environment and simple business strategies. Today the situation is far different. Brand managers now face market fragmentation, channel dynamics, global realities, and business environments that have drastically changed their task. In addition, there is pressure to leverage assets because of the prohibitive cost of creating new brands. This set of challenges has created a new discipline called brand A coherent architecture can lead to impact, clarity, synergy, and leverage rather than market weakness, confusion, waste, and missed opportunities. Brand architecture is an organizing structure of the portfolio that specifies roles and the nature of relationships between brands. This article introduces a powerful architecture tool, the brand relationship spectrum. It is intended to help architecture strategists employ insight and subtlety to subbrands, endorsed brands, and their alternatives. Subbrands and endorsed brands can play a key role in creating a coherent and effective architecture.