Keller, K.L. (2015). Designing and implementing brand architecture strategies.
Journal of Brand Management, 21, 702-715
Firms must maximize brand equity across all the different brands and products and services they
offer. The brand architecture strategy for a firm provides guidance as to which products and services
a firm should introduce and how they should be branded in doing so. It determines which brand
elements – brand names, logos, symbols and so forth – a firm should apply across new and existing
products and services.
• Clarify – Brand awareness: Improve consumer understanding and communicate similarity
and differences between individual products and services.
• Motivate – Brand image: Maximize transfer of equity to/from the brand to individual
products and services to improve trial and repeat purchase
Developing a brand architecture strategy involves three key steps:
1. Defining the potential of a brand in terms of the extent of its ‘market footprint’. Three
important considerations:
• Articulating the brand vision: what a brand should and could become in the broadest
sense, long-term potential of a brand. Know your brand equity.
• Defining the brand boundaries: deciding, based on the brand vision and positioning,
the products or services the brand should offer, the benefits it should supply and the
needs it should satisfy. Marketers must evaluate extending their brands carefully and
only launch new products selectively. A ‘broad’ brand is one with an abstract
positioning that is able to support a higher order promise that is relevant in multiple
product settings. The most basic principle in designing a brand portfolio is to
maximize market coverage so no potential customers are being ignored, but
minimize brand overlap so brands are not competing for customer approval.
• Crafting the brand positioning: the act of designing the company’s offering and
image to occupy a distinctive place in the minds of the target market. Positioning a
new brand requires that similarities and differences between brands be defined and
communicated. Four key components to a superior competitive positioning:
o Competitive frame of reference: which other brands a brand competes with.
o Points-of-difference (PODs): strong, favourable and unique brand
associations. Strong and well evaluated attributes and benefits. When?:
▪ Desirable to the consumer.
▪ Deliverable by the company.
▪ Differentiating from competitors.
o Points-of-parity (POPs): associations shared with other brands. Three forms:
▪ Category POPs: associations that consumers see as essential.
▪ Competitive POPs: to negate competitors’ PODs.
▪ Correlational POPs: i.e. cheap and high quality don’t go together.
o Brand mantra that summarizes the essence of the brand and key PODs in
three-to-five words. Clearly delineate what the brand is supposed to
represent and what not.
2. Identifying the types of product and service extensions that would allow a brand to achieve
that potential. A brand extension is a new product introduced under an existing brand name:
• Line extension: new product introductions within existing categories.
• Category extension: new product introductions outside existing categories.
Journal of Brand Management, 21, 702-715
Firms must maximize brand equity across all the different brands and products and services they
offer. The brand architecture strategy for a firm provides guidance as to which products and services
a firm should introduce and how they should be branded in doing so. It determines which brand
elements – brand names, logos, symbols and so forth – a firm should apply across new and existing
products and services.
• Clarify – Brand awareness: Improve consumer understanding and communicate similarity
and differences between individual products and services.
• Motivate – Brand image: Maximize transfer of equity to/from the brand to individual
products and services to improve trial and repeat purchase
Developing a brand architecture strategy involves three key steps:
1. Defining the potential of a brand in terms of the extent of its ‘market footprint’. Three
important considerations:
• Articulating the brand vision: what a brand should and could become in the broadest
sense, long-term potential of a brand. Know your brand equity.
• Defining the brand boundaries: deciding, based on the brand vision and positioning,
the products or services the brand should offer, the benefits it should supply and the
needs it should satisfy. Marketers must evaluate extending their brands carefully and
only launch new products selectively. A ‘broad’ brand is one with an abstract
positioning that is able to support a higher order promise that is relevant in multiple
product settings. The most basic principle in designing a brand portfolio is to
maximize market coverage so no potential customers are being ignored, but
minimize brand overlap so brands are not competing for customer approval.
• Crafting the brand positioning: the act of designing the company’s offering and
image to occupy a distinctive place in the minds of the target market. Positioning a
new brand requires that similarities and differences between brands be defined and
communicated. Four key components to a superior competitive positioning:
o Competitive frame of reference: which other brands a brand competes with.
o Points-of-difference (PODs): strong, favourable and unique brand
associations. Strong and well evaluated attributes and benefits. When?:
▪ Desirable to the consumer.
▪ Deliverable by the company.
▪ Differentiating from competitors.
o Points-of-parity (POPs): associations shared with other brands. Three forms:
▪ Category POPs: associations that consumers see as essential.
▪ Competitive POPs: to negate competitors’ PODs.
▪ Correlational POPs: i.e. cheap and high quality don’t go together.
o Brand mantra that summarizes the essence of the brand and key PODs in
three-to-five words. Clearly delineate what the brand is supposed to
represent and what not.
2. Identifying the types of product and service extensions that would allow a brand to achieve
that potential. A brand extension is a new product introduced under an existing brand name:
• Line extension: new product introductions within existing categories.
• Category extension: new product introductions outside existing categories.
