This document discusses different brand architecture strategies that industrial manufacturing companies can employ, including branded house, house of brands, and hybrid approaches. It provides examples of how large companies like GE, Emerson, UTC, Altra, and Textron structure their brands at the corporate, business, and product levels. It also outlines three levels of operational depth that organizations can align to - marketing categories, sales/solution categories, and operational categories. The document is intended to help companies consider alternatives and go-to-market implications for structuring their brand portfolio.
6. PROPRIETARY AND CONFIDENTIAL
SUBSECTION TITLE
6
Altra also employs a branded house strategy at the business
level, but maintains several product brand names
Power
GeneraCon
Primary
Metals
Rubber Paper Petro-
Chemical
Mining Marine Business Level
Corporate
Level
Product Level
Take-aways:
• In an effort to unify and standardize the appearance of the porbolio, Altra might hove gone too far – any equity or individuality in
product brands is neutralized in order to gain communicaAon efficiencies
• This approach assumes the “A” symbol is a strong enough visual to carry the enAre porbolio. It also diminishes the value and
integrity of the logo by aeaching to so many products (ubiquity destroys brand equity)
• Simple product line descripAons with brands cuong across those lines aren’t enough to strategically organize the porbolio (this is
a visual design / product-driven soluAon only, and lacks the sophisAcaAon required for soluAon selling)
8. PROPRIETARY AND CONFIDENTIAL
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Three levels of operational depth to consider OperaAonal Depth
OperaConal Level DefiniCons
1
MarkeCng Categories Only • A communicaAve banner that expresses a
broader category which brands fall under
• Brands do not rigidly fit under banners; they
“float” across them like Emerson or Altra
• P&Ls are Aed to brands which float across
markeAng categories
2
Sales / SoluCon Categories • A dedicated team charged with selling the enAre
porbolio (to select large customers) in integrated
soluAons (value added services plus products)
• A “go-to-market layer” in-between the corporate
and brand / P&L levels
• P&Ls are Aed to brands which float across
soluAon categories
3
OperaConal Categories • Complete alignment with organizaAonal
structure and P&Ls
• P&Ls are Aed to categories AND brands
• ExcepAons can come in the form of internaAonal
distribuAon arms which carry the enAre
porbolio, and special brands like XYZ which may
cut across categories
MarkeCng Banner
Brand A Brand B
MarkeCng Banner
Brand C
P&L 1 P&L 2 P&L 3
Corporate Level
Sales/ SoluCons
Brand A Brand B
Sales/ SoluCons
Brand C
P&L 1 P&L 2 P&L 3
Corporate Level
Category 1
P&L 1
Category 2
Brand A, B
Corporate Level
P&L 2
Brand C, D
P&L 3
Brand E