For years, organizations have been following the trend of adopting a masterbrand strategy. A masterbrand is where all entities in the portfolio share the same brand name, logo, design system and experience. This strategy strengthens the parent brand, unifies the offerings or business units, and creates simplicity for audiences across the board.
However, the opposite trend is starting to gain momentum. Large companies or conglomerates are unbundling their offerings and creating distinct brands to better serve specific audiences. Take Kellogg’s splitting into three new brands for example.
We’re also seeing this a lot in healthcare. Healthcare services providers are branding telehealth, home health, Medicare Advantage, and pharmacy brands (to name a few) in an intentionally differentiated way. This provides space for each entity to focus their business strategy and tailor their brand, forming a tighter value proposition and honing their brand experience. This approach has been particularly popular with digital innovations where the parent brand wants to allow for progression beyond history or legacy.
Some may argue that by deconstructing masterbrands, you’re doing away with brand efficiencies. After all, you do have more to manage. However, at TenTen we believe there are ways to find brand efficiencies no matter if an organization implements a “house of brands” or “branded house” (masterbrand) approach, and it starts with planning. It’s important that the organization understand what needs to be branded, which brand it will assume and who will own the execution. Through defined processes, tools and templates, efficiencies can be created as each brand is built and managed.
As healthcare systems and other large organizations become more consumer-centric, it’s time to evolve from a business and brand standpoint. If your organization is looking to create more focus and “unbundle your brand,” we’d love to talk. TenTen Group is a team of brand implementation specialists who bring brands to life in the real world. Reach out at hello@tentengroup.com. Let’s make a plan for implementing your brand.
