Andreas Strebinger

Strategic Brand Concept and

Brand Architecture Strategy
A Proposed Model
Vienna University of Economics and
Business Administration (WU Wien),
Department of Marketing:
Advertising and Marketing Research
Vienna, Austria, EU

Five brand architecture strategies

C-branding
P1

P2

P3

P-branding

P4
T1

T1
T2
T3

Corporate
Brand

T2
T3

T4

T4

P1

P2

P3

P4

B
r
a
n
d

B
r
a
n
d

B
r
a
n
d

B
r
a
n
d

T1

Brand 1

T2

Brand 2

T3

Brand 3

T4

Brand 4

PT-branding
P1

P2

P3

P4

T1

B1

B2

B3

B4

T2

B5

B6

B7

B8

T3

B9

B 10 B 11 B 12

T4

B 13 B 14 B 15 B 16

T-branding
P1

P2

F-branding
e. g.:

Corporate
Brand
Subbrand44
Subbrand

Subbrand 3

Subbrand 2

Subbrand 1

P3

P4

Four strategic brand concepts

Experiential

Relational

consumer benefit: pleasure

prevailing processing style:
experiential processing
effect on brand architecture:
separative (product
categories)

exper.
&
relatl.

consumer benefit: sympathy,

attachment, & trust
prevailing processing style:
peripheral processing
effect on brand architecture:
integrative

experiential &
symbolic

Symbolic

consumer benefit: selfesteem & self-presentation

prevailing processing style:
biased processing
effect on brand architecture:
separative (target groups)

multiple
benefits

relational &
functional
Functional

symb.
&
functl.
7

6
1

consumer benefit: problem

avoidance
prevailing processing style:
central processing
effect on brand architecture:
integrative

BASE Linking strategic brand concepts to

brand-architecture strategy
Experiential

e. & r.

Relational

P-branding

Fbranding

C-branding

multiple benefits
experiential & symb.

relational & functl.

PT-branding F-branding C-branding

Symbolic

T-branding

Functional

Fbranding
s. & f.

C-branding

Limitations
explorative instrument providing theoretical
assistance in making strategic brand architecture
decisions
many empirical clues, no empirical proof
smooth transition between standard brand
architecture strategies
real-life product portfolios often consist of mixtures of
functionally, experientially, symbolicly & emotionally
positioned products
other stakeholders (employees, shareholders,
retailers) different brand architecture strategy?

S
o
m
e

Experiential

P-branding

Relational C-branding

e. & r. F-branding

multiple benefits

e
x
a
m
p
l
e
s

e & s PT-branding

r & f.

C-branding

F-branding

Symbolic

T-branding

s. & f.

Fbranding

Functional

C-branding

 a very successful
Austrian store brand