Organizations with more than one brand should develop decision trees to aid people in naming new products and services. The decision tree should outline when an existing brand should be used and when a new brand is necessary. (One of the more exhaustive branding/naming decision trees that I have seen is in Nicholas Ind’s book, Living the Brand.) It should also identify the type of brand to be created (sub-brand, endorsed brand, etc.) and the naming convention for that brand (coined, associative/descriptive, etc.). This should be based upon the following factors:
• Importance of the new product or service to the market and to the organization
• Projected life-span of the new product or service
• Unique differentiating benefits delivered by the new product or service
• Intent and capacity to communicate the new brand in a significant way over time
In general, new brands should be created only when a new product or service delivers on a different brand promise from one of the organization’s existing brands. To do otherwise would be costly and confusing to consumers.
The Blake Project Can Help: The Brand Positioning Workshop
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