Subbrand = Interplay + Cannibalization?
When one reads the book ‘The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding’ by Al Ries and Laura Ries, the point that is firmly driven across is that only brands with focus survive and the power of the brand is inversely proportional to its scope. Then what about the concept of sub-branding? The same book says, “Subbranding captures management’s attention because of what it promises, not necessarily because of what it delivers”.
For decades, the concept of subbranding has been a topic of debate and research. The reasons evident for the failure of this concept have been brand dilution, interplay and inherent cannibalization.
Interplay is a phenomenon that can be induced due to two factors. One is the product itself and the other is consumer wants and buying behavior.
It is every Product Manager’s goal to have his/her brand as the company’s number-one brand. This drives the Product Manager to continuously innovate and improve on the product. What does this lead to? A blurring of the differences between two sub-brands. What does this lead to? Interplay and cannibalization.
When a consumer is not sure of his/her needs and there is hardly any differentiation in the offerings, the greatest differentiator then becomes the brand. In such a scenario it becomes critical to create strong brand identity for the subbrand that provides maximum value, thereby killing/downplaying the other subbrand.
The growth and sustenance of brand value takes a lot of effort. In a multi-brand or a sub-brand scenario, it takes focus, sustained uniformity, clearly defined positioning and targets and above all a clear vision from the top management for the main brand to gain and the devils of interplay and cannibalization to stay away. Sub-brands should not be vehicles driven by drivers who are given the choice to choose their own destination, but vehicles used to move towards the same goal.
For decades, the concept of subbranding has been a topic of debate and research. The reasons evident for the failure of this concept have been brand dilution, interplay and inherent cannibalization.
Interplay is a phenomenon that can be induced due to two factors. One is the product itself and the other is consumer wants and buying behavior.
It is every Product Manager’s goal to have his/her brand as the company’s number-one brand. This drives the Product Manager to continuously innovate and improve on the product. What does this lead to? A blurring of the differences between two sub-brands. What does this lead to? Interplay and cannibalization.
When a consumer is not sure of his/her needs and there is hardly any differentiation in the offerings, the greatest differentiator then becomes the brand. In such a scenario it becomes critical to create strong brand identity for the subbrand that provides maximum value, thereby killing/downplaying the other subbrand.
The growth and sustenance of brand value takes a lot of effort. In a multi-brand or a sub-brand scenario, it takes focus, sustained uniformity, clearly defined positioning and targets and above all a clear vision from the top management for the main brand to gain and the devils of interplay and cannibalization to stay away. Sub-brands should not be vehicles driven by drivers who are given the choice to choose their own destination, but vehicles used to move towards the same goal.
posted by Ayush Jain at 4:34 pm
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