Some reading I found helpful regarding brand architecture and strategy for those interested.
Approaches to Brand Architecture:
http://merriamassociates.com/2009/09/approaches-to-brand-architecture/
Brand Architecture: Strategic Considerations:
http://merriamassociates.com/2009/09/brand-architecture-strategic-considerations/
Wikipedia Brand Architecture:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brand_architecture
Three key levels of branding:
"Corporate brand, umbrella brand, and family brand - Examples include Virgin Group and Heinz. These are consumer-facing brands used across all the firm's activities, and this name is how they are known to all their stakeholders – consumers, employees, shareholders, partners, suppliers and other parties. These brands may also be used in conjunction with product descriptions or sub-brands: for example Heinz Cream of Tomato Soup, or Virgin Trains.
"Endorsed brands, and sub-brands - For example, Nestle KitKat, Cadbury Dairy Milk, Sony PlayStation or Polo by Ralph Lauren. These brands include a parent brand - which may be a corporate brand, anumbrella brand, or a family brand - as an endorsement to a sub-brand or an individual, product brand. The endorsement should add credibility to the endorsed sub-brand in the eyes of consumers.
"Individual product brand - For example, Procter & Gamble’s Pampers or Unilever's Dove. The individual brands are presented to consumers, and the parent company name is given little or no prominence. Other stakeholders, like shareholders or partners, will know the producer by its company name."
ALSO...I like what these guys did:
http://www.intermediatms.com/work/bc/
See you soon!
P.S. Did you know? Harley Davidson made a terrible marketing blunder when they tried to use their brand to sell wine coolers. Yeah. Duh. It’s going to get all over your leather jacket and beard while you're cruising around on your hog, drunkenly evading the police.
