Brand-Product Relationship

Brand-Product
Relationship

Introduction

Six types of relationship between brand and product (or

service)

product brand
line brand
range brand
umbrella brand
source brand (or parent brand)
endorsing brand

Brand-Product
Relationship

Product-Brand Strategy
Company X

To assign an exclusive name to a

product,
having its own individual positioning

Brand portfolio
correspond to
product
portfolio

Each new product receiving its own personal brand

name

Brand A

Brand B

Brand N

Product A

Product B

Product N

Positioning A

Positioning B Positioning N

?
P&G: detergents-Ariel, Tide, Dash
Food sector: bring out new specialty product
-> product-brand portfolio is extensive
Mineral water: evian, perrier strict indication of identity
(Post-it)
Branduct (product ->category )

for firms focusing their attention on a particular market

-by occupying several segments having different types of

expectations and needs-< maximizing its share of the market

Shelf-space .

When segments are not too different

-Choosing one name per product helps the consumer see each
other as being different

for highly innovative firms who wish to preempt a positioning

-if the first brand in a new segment turns out to be satisfactory, it
inherits the pioneer advantage; copy

Brand-Product
Relationship

Line-Brand Strategy

Line-Brand extends its specific concept across different

products
Cross Branding; product with complementary
features

?
Renault: Baccara version; a line brand indicating leather
seats, a luxurious interior, etc.
beauty-care industry: a complete line of products go with for
balding man
LOreals Studio Line: offering youngsters a structuring gel, etc.

?
established by building on the success of the original product with
practical variations of a closely associated nature.
Eg) typical approach followed by perfumes

:
It raises the selling power of the
brand and creates a strong
image of consistency
It leads to ease of line extension
It reduces launch costs
:
It lies in the tendency to forget that
a line has limits
A powerful innovation could slow
down its development
Eg) Nestle-Bolino

Brand-Product
Relationship

Range-Brand Strategy

Brands bring all their products together under one promise or

positioning

Brand

Brand Concept

Brands bestow a single name and a promise on a group of

products having the same level of ability

To assist its
consumers in
making sense of
the scientific
wording on
products

Clarins
Concept: the specialist
In beauty care

Cream Solutions Fluids Gels Etc

Soothing line

Slimming and

forming line
Line Y

food sector (Green Giant, Dole), cosmetics, clothes (Benetton,

Kookai, etc) kitchen equipment (Moulinex, Seb,.) accessories
(Samsonite,.)

:
It avoids the random spread of
communication by
concentrating on one single
name
:
The Brands opacity as it expands
: 1. the brand needed to be
nurtured in such a way as to express its
individuality
2. The consumer has to be
assisted in sifting through the mass of
products -> converted to product lines

Building up Brand awareness (which can be shared by products)

Refining brand concept
Approach: by concentrating on specific products, called vector
product -> shared by the other products in the range not directly
mentioned

Brand-Product
Relationship

Umbrella-Brand Strategy

The same brand supports several products in different

markets, each with its own communication and individual
promise
Yet each product retains its generic
name
?
Canon: cameras, photocopiers, and office equipment under one
name
Yamaha: motorcycles, pianos, guitars
Mitsubishi: banks, cars, domestic appliances

?
favored by multinational corporations marketing worldwide
-being already established, their name and reputation is a major
asset in entering segments or areas which they had not previously
penetrated.
-> awareness of the brand brings about immediate approval

Brand

Products or
servicesA
B
Specific
Communications
By product
A
B
Or service

:
Capitalization on one single name
Little marketing investment is required
:
Each division within the organization
handles its own communication(to get the
best out of the particular market in which it
operates)
Awareness resulting from the umbrella
effect is not sufficient
An accident occurring with one product
can affect the other products under the
same umbrella
The more a brand covers different
categories, the more it stretches and
weakens- greatest handicap is its
vertical extension

Brand-Product
Relationship

Source-Brand (Parent) Strategy

Identical to umbrella-brand strategy,

Apart from
Products are now directly named

Parent Brand
Personal brand
Specific
Products

Brand A

Brand B

Brand C

Promise A

Promise B Promise C

Product A
Or Line A

Product B
Or Line B

Product C
Or Line C

?
Perfume: no longer come under a generic tag, such as eau de
toilette or eau de parfum, but each has its own name,
e.g., Jazz, Poison, Opium, Nina, etc
-> two tier brand structure known as double-branding

endorsing brand
source brand: the offspring may have their own Christian names,
but are still tied to the family spirit which dominates
endorsing brand: products follow their singular paths under a
simple common guarantee
problem with many brands is that they have converted from
source brands to endorsing brands.

:
ability to impose a sense of
difference and depth
e.g. chanel: coco and no.5
:
overstepping the limitation of the
parent brands core identity;
keeping within strict
boundaries where brand
extension is concerned.
: if looking for greater
freedom, endorsing-brand
strategy is more suited.

Brand-Product
Relationship

Endorsing-Brand Strategy

It gives its approval to a wide diversity of

products grouped under product brands,
line brands or range brands

Promise A

Product A Product B
Or Line A Or Line B
Brand A

Each product is still free to show its

originality;
hence
the wide variety of names and
symbols

Promise B Promise C

Placed lower down in

its basic reassuring
role

Brand B

Product C
Or Line C
Brand C

Promise N
Product N
Or Line N
Brand N

Endorsing Brand

?
GM: Pontiac, Buick, Oldsmobile, Chevrolet, etc
Kellogg: Country Store, Rice Krispies, Frosties, etc
( Kellogg normally tends towards product brands-Frosties, All Bran,
Corn Flakes, etc refers to particular products)
Nestle: Crunch, Golden Graham, Nescafe, etc
: indicated either by an emblem next to the brand or as a
simple name

:
grater freedom of maneuverability
which it confers
e.g. Nestle: baby food, children;s
chocolate, coffee, soup market

profits from the advantages offered

by specifically named
products.

less costly ways of giving

substance to a company name
and allowing it to achive brand
status.

Brand-Product
Relationship

Conclusion

In reality, firms adopt

hybrid configurations in
the form of a range,
umbrella, parent, or
endorsing brand,
according to the
products.

Brand-Product
Relationship

A Case of Brand
Proliferation

Use the name of one of its existing primary brands,

to capitalize on them
and nourish them.
(3M)
Overhead Post-it
Extra,
projectors,
Video Magic
cameras
Medical
cassettes
adhesives

(3M medical
division)

Schotch

3M

Y Z

Racoon (nick
name)
Generic
denominati
on
Schotch Brite

New philosophy emphasizes 3Ms

role
as an endorsement brand.
Corporate Branding Policy Committee
Establish corporate guidelines for brand
use
Review the brands world strategies
Approve any new brand requests

Sometimes with
the 3M
endorsement,
sometimes alone

brand proliferation
and dilution of identity
- 29 6 ,
But (65% , 25% )

brand proliferation
Policy
It has 1,500 product brands,
which are correspondingly specialized,
and each one receives too little financial support
to be properly supported.
Furthermore, the effect is to create a screen,
Hiding the corporation 3M.

New guidelines introduced

1.
The trademark 3M should endorse all
products (with one exception, a
cosmetic line)
2.
No products would carry more than
two brands.
3.
All brands will be global, which means
no more creation of local brands.

Will the product create a new primary
demand? (Post-it)
Sub brands -allowed only when the primary
brand alone does not accomplish
sufficient differentiation
1989: 73 new brands created
1991: 4 created
10
brand
portfolio:
1500->
700

Brand-Product
Relationship

Selection Criteria

Choosing a brand policy is not a stylistic exercise,

but a strategic decision to promote products
with a long-term brand capital aim.

1.
2.
3.

The product or service

Consumer habits
The
firms competitive
position

Carvet
France
Specific type of
Bordeaux wine
The Carvet brand has meaning
only when it can offer a plus
which other Bordeaux cannot

Club Med
Abroad

Multiproduct name

Club Med . product brand

-Hilton, Sheraton, Meridien, Sofitel
, range-brand policy
Economy
hutted
villages

. ..

Luxury golf
hotels

No appreciable
wine-producing Industry

Club Med
Unitary Brand name

Consumer may not fully

Consumer is more accustomed
o interpreting the various pointers appreciate the meaning
to specification on wine label: of appellation, vintages,
region, vintage, type of vine, year
and other details.

&
Advertising Campaign
Despite their differences, all these products

Product brand

Umbrella brand
covering many
generic French
regional wines

share the same model and values.

Their common features speak louder than
their differences.

Denominative policy results from a recognition of the brands duties as expected by the c
When compared with the function and meaning of other product-. range-, and line-brand
Including objective and subjective quality indicators such as packaging, advertising 11
and the retailers own prescription and advice.

Brand-Product
Relationship

Selection Criteria

Major corporations selling to both industrial and consumer

markets
must
decide
brands
and how much emphasis they will put on product
how much visibility they will give to the corporate name
Trend now exists in favor of corporate branding

a long time, corporations remained hidden for security purposes: in the event of problems with one of bran
The corporation would not be hurt. Reciprocally, the brands would not suffer from corporate problems.
However, the advantages in the uncommon event of crisis are now outweighed by certain disadvantages.
Ie) Unilever: is starting an endorsement policy in Europe and adds its corporate name in small type under its Persil
Akzo: remained largely unknown; gained a poor image in terms of its technology because of this lack of visibility
Johnsons: all products are endorsed by Johnsons, despite their being strong product brands in their own right.

ICI

Branding policy

A Top-down policy (umbrella-brand policy)

-a range of technical products which remain unbranded
(polyurethanes)
A hand-in-hand policy (endorsement-brand
policy)
-adds its corporate reputation and reassurance on
technology and quality for the customers of
famous mass-market brands (Dulux-paint)
A product brand-only policy (makes no reference at
all)

GE

The monolithic one (GE as an umbrella brand)

-GE signs the product or company as single-brand
(GE Silicones, GE Aircraft Engines, GE Motors)
The endorsement type
-GE signs adjacent to a specific product or company
name (GE-X)
The holding type
-GE is discretely mentioned in such term as
(X, member of the GE group)
The autonomous product or company
-making no reference to GE

-Tactel(fiber-fashion industry) is far removed from the

imagery of the
chemical
industry
All companies
must
define
strict guidelines with which to face these naming and branding

Guidelines bring rationality and coherence to decisions so far made according to each ma
Subjectivity. They become a tool of consensus and delegation. This is all the more necess
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Company is international and sells innumerable products.

Brand-Product
Relationship

Product Names: What

Autonomy?
7 forms of strategy; Increasing degrees of autonomy
The product do not have The brand dominates
The product
their own names

In naming, it provides
A forceful reminder of
The source brand

Wish to show an
association between
brand and products
through suffix,

-stamp of the powerful brand; -emphasizes a brand whose

-Each product is simply
Ie) Lacoste shirt, socks, sweaters image is reflected in every
a variation
on the brands
model.
values
-The brand takes them under
-
deriving from a common core.
-The customers will will discover
Its exclusive wing, expressin
product status
ie)Diorssimo, Miss Dior
their innovative qualities.
.
all the objective and subjective -strict association between
brand
ie) St. Michael, Sony
attributes which go to make up and product allows the rising
Ie) Lancome: Niosome,
brand
-not suitable for weak brands, the brand identity.
Noctosome
to
express
its
identity
and
Since they are unable to inject
system
ie) Mercedes: call its models
of values by means of those
a common quality or spirit
little extra touches.
the 190, 200, and so on.
into the products bearing
-The principle should not be
their name
applied to too many products
at one time.
Ie) Nescafe, Nesquick, Nestea..Wish to show an

Totally autonomous
product
brand,
orwith no offshoots
Affiliations

Ie) Signal, Crest, Persil, Jif, and Sun

The relationship between

product
and brand is bottom-up

-Nominal and semantic detachment allows

brand to extend without destabilizing the
heart of the brand.
Ie) Diors Capture and Poison perfumes,
Johnsons Pledge
-Exhausted or weak brands .
Ie)car industry; Renault R5, R9
1990 own-name policy .
Clio, Chamade .

association
Between brand and
products
through term (ex:prefix)
Ie) Clarins: multi-tensing gel, multirestoring fluide - generic name .
1. Prefix .
2. Clarins chose to capitalize on term:
multi infers a complete course of
treatment, corresponding to the
Clarins identity and intent.
->product line rather than mono
products

The choice between these policies depend greatly on the strength of the brand and its wi
the strength of its new products, and the force of its commercial strategy.
Firms that have extensive growth policy in an effort to capture a larger share of the market
-Range . (P&G- )
Firms opt for an intensive policy by developing their sales to existing customers
- range . (ex-Apple; MacWrite, MacPaint, etc)

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Brand-Product
Relationship

Retailer Brand
Policies
similar firms competing in the same area
[Retailer sector]
Wide range of brand
policies

Umbrella

Retailer brands have typically been umbrella brands,

brand
exclusive to the retailer, each covering a number of
groceries
cosmetics
products within a similar sphere
Sainsbury: began as far back as 1869
Houseware
Co-op: officially register its brand in France in 1929

The retailers saw these products in an essentially defensive role, a reaction against reluctant
manufactures
who were not supplying them.

Carrefour (1976) 1. a new type of retailer brand known as banner. => signifies an attacking strategy.
Umbrella brand cover . retailer signature emblem guarantee .
2. banner freedom product line . => stance: national brands
3. Retailer . generic unbranded
. National brand quality 30~40% package .
4. generic banner brand .
banner retailer
Banner brand retailer .
5. Carrefour freedom line , corporate branding policy .

Own brand or Private label-different name from that of the retailer, Ie) Marks & Spencer - St. Michael.
-share one essential difference from their earlier counterparts
-in many cases they are product or line brands, designed to capture customers from the market leader,
hence the name counter brands.
tactic: 1. Major brand
2. , .
14
major brand R&D , .
retailer shelf .

Brand-Product
Relationship

Retailer Brand Policies

Brand Owner
Brands Main Purpose

Manufacturer

To capture clientele of
A targeted brand

Retailer
Counterbrand

To personalize the product

Product brand

Own-label

To incorporate the
Product among others

Line brand
Range brand

Own-label

Umbrella brand

(Banner brand)
Retailer named
brand

To identify the product source

Source brand
Endorsing brand

To indicate the manufacturer

Corporate branding

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Brand-Product
Relationship

Breakdowns in the Brand-Product

Relationship:
A Few Classic
Examples

Brand-product relationship organization aims at

optimally managing the image flows.

Horizontal flows between the products

-themselves can be a source of added value
and may lead the consumer to try more products.

br
an
d
g
flo
w
s

en
di
n

es
c

er
at
e

en

Descending flows; from the brand to the

products
-whenever their sales could be increased by
the application of a source-effect.
Regenerate brand
-thanks to a bottom-up image flow

Re
g

P1

Pn
Horizontal flows between the
products

All brand architectures initial goals .

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Brand-Product
Relationship

Breakdowns in the Brand-Product

Relationship:
A Few Classic
Examples
Classic cases of failure

1. A brand disappearing behind one of its

products
-the most frequent case; Parent brand .

- ( ) parent brand
.
-brand range
Ie) Anais-Anais Cacharel identity
Honeywell
.

2. Brand-product disconnection
-When the company prefers to remain in the background, its
image is not nurtured by its best-selling products and cannot
act as an endorsement brand on other products.
ie) Essilor: Varilux endorse . Seiko, Nikon
Corning - Pyrex ware
corning .

3. Excessive use of product name-

4. Range disruption or breakage

- identity seg
.
-parent brand source brand endorsing
brand value core identity
. brand core
name double branding .
ie) Kelloggs: health and nature brand core
Generic name . (eg. Kelloggs Corn Flakes )
- Choco pops, Frosties less health oriented, with
more fun and gimmicks -> receive double branding
- brand map .

-in case of a range brand, the products of the range must

work in synergy and complementarity to fulfill the brand
mission, but it often happens that many products in a range
have their separate lives, unexpected and even contradictory.

Product
with no mention
of brand

Brand
core

Product with
a specific name
and a small mention
only of the brand

Core
product

A brand map visual layout of brand-product

relationships, distances and structure

Ie) Johnnie Walker

- a classic case of vertical disruption of the brand.
(a brand suffers when it signs both a basic, low-priced
product and a top-class, premium-priced product.)
-Black label johnnie walker ,
Red label
. -> johonnie walker -> brand reposition
range . (johnnie walker black label
. Black label Gold label Premier
range . Johnnie walker symbol .)

5. The insistence on certain accounting methods.

- communication line
.
- line support
range benefit
line line
overshadow .
ie) Playtex-Cross Your Heart, Super Look bras
.

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