Nurturing Corporate Identities: Eight Steps to Distinguishing Multiple Brands Under a Group Banner

In the bustling landscape of modern business, it's not uncommon for companies to spread their wings and establish multiple brands under one overarching umbrella.  There are a number of homebuilders who are home to multiple brands, with the Vistry Group a prime example. 

Whether it's for diversification, targeting different demographics, or exploring new markets, having more than one brand can be a strategic move for any business, including that of homebuilders.  

However, with multiple brands vying for attention under the same parent company, it becomes crucial to nurture each brand's individual identity while optimising their affiliation to the main brand.

As a company, we house a number of brands, including Classic Folios, Spaciable and Motor Folios and we understand that balancing attention and resources among different brands is not without its challenges.  However, with careful planning and strategic execution, it's possible to ensure that each brand receives its fair share of airtime and recognition in the market. Ultimately, fostering a diverse portfolio of distinct yet affiliated brands can contribute to the overall success and resilience of the organisation in an increasingly competitive business landscape.

Here, we'll explore eight effective strategies for ensuring each brand gets its fair share of attention and recognition.

1.      Define Clear Brand Identities

Before anything else, it's essential to have a crystal-clear understanding of each brand's identity.  As advised by Omi, ‘Each of your brands needs to possess a distinguishable identity to stand out from the rest in its own way.’ 

So, decide what sets them apart.  Think about what values they represent.  How do they resonate with their target audience?  Defining these unique attributes will serve as the foundation for distinguishing each brand within the market.  Omi suggests, ‘Create enticing brand narratives and value propositions that appeal to each brand’s target market by directly addressing customers’ problems and providing solutions.’  This way you can curate each of your brand’s products for the most relevant audience.

Another valuable tool for distinguishing the identity of each brand is a set of brand guidelines.  This document describes the different elements of your brand and how to use them effectively, so that anyone working across multiple brands has clear directives and a tailored toolkit to draw upon.  Using this guide, messaging remains consistent and distinguishable from the other brands.

2.      Allocate Resources Wisely

‘Operating multiple brands can strain resources, including marketing budgets, personnel, and operational infrastructure,’ says United Partners.  While it's tempting to allocate resources based solely on revenue or prominence, it's vital to distribute them equitably among all brands.

The advice from United Partners is to ‘Balance shared resources and brand-specific resources, considering factors such as marketing budgets, human resources, and technological infrastructure to maximize the impact of each brand’s activities.’  So, be sure to allocate budgets, marketing efforts, and personnel according to each brand's specific needs and potential for growth. 

3.      Tailored Marketing Strategies

Each brand deserves a tailored marketing strategy that aligns with its unique identity and target audience.  United Partners point out that, ‘In order to reap the benefits of a multi-brand strategy, you will need to have a carefully crafted and skilfully executed Communications strategy.’  This allows each brand to implement a plan best suited to their individual needs and targets. 

While there may be overlap in the overall marketing approach, customisation is key to ensuring that each brand's voice is heard distinctly.

4.      Leverage Digital Platforms

In today's digital age, online platforms offer an abundance of opportunities to showcase multiple brands effectively.  Look for a platform that best suits the needs of your own particular brands.  You have the ability to manage all your brands’ websites in one space, so that they can work with and complement each other. ‘Not a disjointed cobbling of sites, but a synergistic system where all the pieces fit and add value to the whole,’ advises FINE Design Group.

And don’t discount the importance of social media.  Utilise these channels, refine your websites, and deploy digital advertising strategies to highlight each brand's offerings and engage with their respective audiences directly.  In today’s commercial landscape, social media can constitute people’s main source of engagement, and it is also a great place to cultivate a brand’s voice. 

However, be sure to use separate accounts from each brand.  The risk of using a single account to cover all brands is that a lot of content will only be relevant to a subsection of the page’s followers.  As a multi-brand company, we manage separate social media accounts for Classis Folios and Spaciable.  Our Classic Folios followers receive the general industry insights and customer care-centric content that we post, as this brand sells traditional hardware and printed content.  Spaciable, however, is a digital tool and therefore the content we produce from this channel has a tech-based focus to suit this audience.  We try to tailor our content so that it appeals to the target audience of each brand.

5.      Customer Segmentation

Understand the distinct demographics and preferences of each brand's target audience.  ‘Customer segmentation shows you precisely what each customer seeks so that you can align your marketing messages and know the exact channel to use for communicating with them,’ explains Forbes. 

Tailor your communication and outreach efforts accordingly to resonate with these diverse consumer segments effectively.  According to Forbes, ‘The result of the guided campaigns and actions will be a boost to customer loyalty and conversations.’  So invest your time and efforts in ensuring you know the values and requirements of each brand’s target customers.

6.      Monitor and Adjust

As with all areas of business, it is important to keep a close eye on performance metrics and consumer feedback for each separate brand.  Nowadays, what your customers have to say about you can be the deciding factor between making or losing clients.  ‘You’ll be surprised to know that 93% of users admit that online reviews have impacted their buying decision,’ reports Keyhole.  And as each individual brand is a reflection of the parent company, if one brand suffers, so does the reputation of all the other brands.

Ongoing monitoring allows you to identify areas of improvement and make necessary adjustments to ensure equitable attention and recognition for all brands.

7.      Celebrate Individual Achievements

Recognise and celebrate the achievements and milestones of each brand within your portfolio. Whether it's awards, successful product launches, or positive customer feedback, acknowledging these accomplishments reinforces the value of each brand within the organisation and gives these achievements their own airtime. 

Not only does this public celebration help with each brand’s own visibility, it can also benefit your other brands.  As Omi points out: ‘If your previous product is in demand and gains some traction within your target audience, your new brands and products can feed with the success you’ve already achieved in the same or related market segment.’  So, use the success of each brand to help bolster the others.

8.      Employee Engagement and Training

Ensure that employees across all levels are well-versed in the unique attributes of each brand.  As Content Scape argues, ‘Ensuring that your employees understand the distinct values, messaging, and positioning of each brand can help drive more effective external marketing.’

So be sure that you provide training and opportunities for your team to engage with and champion the individual identities of each brand.  ‘This will help them become better brand ambassadors in their interactions with customers and partners,’ says Content Scape. 

By implementing these strategies, businesses can effectively manage multiple brands under one umbrella while nurturing each brand's individual identity.