There is a long-held belief that when it comes to your brand architecture, a masterbrand is the simplest approach. It saves resources. Reduces trademark costs. Improves recall. However, in today’s digital world, a masterbrand approach may seem simple on the surface, but is far more complex to execute. A masterbrand used to be about creating one name, visual identity and system and broadcasting that to the world. Today, a masterbrand implies so much more. Before jumping to a masterbrand solution, you must consider the implications of a one-brand solution and whether your backend technology can support it.
Your user experience must be the same across products. A masterbrand architecture implies “uniform.” A customer, therefore, expects the same experience across products in a masterbrand scenario. This cannot simply be a skin using your visual identity systems on different user experiences. Nor can it be a single sign on that directs you to different portals with distinct experiences. Rather, the UI and flow must be consistent from one product to the next. Compare Google to Microsoft Office. Google Docs, Sheets etc all share the same user experience. It is simple and seamless, and I expect it to be that way, whereas I don’t have the same expectation when it comes to Microsoft Powerpoint and Excel. While the experiences are somewhat consistent, the subbrand scenario of Microsoft Office also manages expectations that not all will be, or needs to be the same.
Data must be linked across products. We’ve moved from a world of “show-me” to “know-me.” A masterbrand implies that you are leveraging data from one product to another to truly know your customers, serve them better content and improve your product based on it. Consider a stay at high-end hotel chains. If I visit a Four Seasons for my birthday each year, I expect that whichever hotel I book at will already know that it is my birthday and send well-wishes upon my arrival. However, I do not have the same expectation if I stayed at a Westin one year and a W, both Starwood properties, the next.
You must provide an all-in-one app solutions. Under a masterbrand solution, you must consider storing all of your products in one app for download. Users do not have patience or interest in downloading several apps or toggle between them under a masterbrand scenario. I use Intuit’s Mint for my bookkeeping and TurboTax for my taxes each year. On my mobile device, I need two different apps. Because they are different brands, my expectation is that those experiences will not be linked. But if they were all Intuit branded, my expectation would be quite different.
In today’s digital world, a masterbrand strategy is increasingly difficult to pull-off. Before jumping to a one-brand solution, consider the implications for your customer experience and product development.