Brand Leadership

Chapter 4:
The Brand Relationship Spectrum
Chapter 4: Brand Relationships

• GE & Marriott
• Endorsers & Subbrands
• Linking Brands
• Selecting Brand Positioning
GE & Marriott

• GE Appliance Brands • Marriott Brands

– GE Monogram – Marriott Hotels
– GE Profile – Marriott Residence Inn
– GE Appliances – Courtyard by Marriott
– Hotpoint – Fairfield Inn by
Marriott
Endorsers & Subbrands

• Endorsers
– Endorsements by existing brand add credibility and
substance to the offering
• Subbrands
– Brands connected to the subbrand
• Driver Roles
– The brand that principally impacts purchase behavior
(Corvette is primary brand for sports car while Chevy
is primary brand for trucks)
Linking Brands: Brand
Relationship Spectrum
• House of Brands
– Not Connected (Hotpoint/GE, Nutrasweet/Searle)
– Shadow Endorser (Tide/P&G, Lexus/Toyota)

• Endorsed Brands
– Token Endorsement (Grape Nuts/Post, Lotus/IBM)
– Linked Name (McMuffin, Nestea)
– Strong Endorsement (Courtyard by Marriott)

• Subbrands under Master Brand

– Co-Drivers (Gillette Sensor, Sony Trinitron, DuPont Stainmaster)
– Master Brand as Driver (Buick LeSabre, HP Deskjet, Dell Dimension)

• Branded House
– Different Identity (GE Capital, GE Appliances)
– Same Identity (Virgin, BMW, Disney)
Selecting the Brand Relationship
• Toward a Branded
House
– Does the master brand
contribute to the offering by
adding:
• Associations enhancing the
value proposition?
• Credibility through
organizational associations?
• Visibility?
• Communication
efficiencies?
• Toward a House of
Brands
– Is there a compelling need for
a separate brand because it
will:
• Create and own an
association?
• Represent a new, different
offering?
• Avoid an association?
• Retain/capture customer
brand/bond?
• Deal with channel conflict?
Selecting the Right Position in
the Brand Spectrum
• Does the master brand contribute to the
offering?
– Associations enhancing the value proposition
– Credibility with organizational associations
• Quality, innovation, customer focus, global scope, reliability & trust

– Visibility
– Communication efficiency
Selecting the Right Position in
the Brand Spectrum
• Will the master brand be strengthened?
• Is there a compelling need for a separate brand?
– Creating and owning an association
– Representing a new, different offering
– Avoiding an association
– Retain/capture a customer/brand bond
– Avoid channel conflicts
• Will the business support a new brand name?