Good Dissertation Results On Exploring Branding Architecture At Service Directed To Personal Health And Wellbeing

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Brand architecture is defined as the brand structure within an organization. It provides the relationship between different brands within an organization while at the same time differentiating them from those of the competitors. The architecture simply addresses how parent brands should be managed in relation to other sub-brands. Brand architecture provides the customers and employees with an understanding of the relationship and value of existing brand structure in different locations. It’s through the brand architecture that the organization can tell the consumers why it is more advantageous to buy its products rather than those of competitors. There several brand architecture techniques used by companies. These branding techniques are: family brand/ corporate brand, Endorsed brands, Individual product brand and Master brand.
This study will elaborate the brand architecture techniques employed by different organizations. The Regis & Vidal Sassoon Salon as well as Toni $Guy corporations shall be used as the case studies. The objectives being 1) to evaluate how each company carry out its branding strategy 2) to examine whether the companies apply specific or multiple branding strategies and 3) to investigate if different branding is used on different brands.

Overview of the Corporations:

The Regis & Vidal Sassoon Salon:
The corporation was known as the Regis Corporation before merging with Vidal Sassoon Corporation. Regis Corporation is considered to be the leading hair salon chain worldwide. Founded in 1922 by Florence and Paul Kunin, the organization has its headquarters in Edina, Minnesota. The Regis & Vidal Sassoon Salon enjoys a huge market share with at least 11000 salons worldwide (including franchise companies). The current CEO & Chairman is Steve Spiegel with the company’s annual revenue estimated to be over US $5billions annually. In additional the organization owns several beauty Schools. Regis merged with HCUK and Vidal Sassoon corporations in 2004 which led to its renaming.

Toni $Guy corporations:

The global business training school and hairdressing was founded in 1963 by Giuseppe Mascolo (Tony) and Gaetano Mascolo (Guy). The company headquarters is situated in London, England. The two founders were later joined by their other brothers Anthony and Bruno Mascolo. Toni Mascolo is the current own and CEO of the organization.
The corporation has over 400 salons worldwide especially in Europe and Asia. It has won numerous awards in the hairdressing industry (UK). The company recently opened its branch in Texas, US and is headed by Bruno Mascolo. The organization is driven by delivering quality services, creativity and maintain consistency with its clients. Tony& Guy pioneered professional hairdresser to exceed the industrial set standards. The organization has been active in the global market by launching product collections in accordance with the global trends. The global trend team is led by Sacha Mascolo; Toni’s daughter.

Branding strategy used by the Corporations:

The Regis & Vidal Sassoon Salon
Using the slogan”Beauty means business at Regis Corporation”, the corporation has developed products and services that consumers are proud to associatewith. The organization have diversified its brand strategies to meet specific needs of its consumers. The Regis & Vidal Sassoon Salon encourages upcoming entrepreneurs to choose its services for easy market through. From the statement it is wise to say that the company depend on its brand name to attract consumers. The organization offers technical training to stylists’ especially those operating in the Supercuts franchises. In return, the company expects these stylists to identify with its brands: Brand loyalty.
The use of master brandstrategy by the organization focuses at establish markets loyalty using its corporate brand. The company uses the same brand positioning while launching its new produces into the market. The organization’s name is the unified and accepted brand name to the buyers. Secondly, to maintain the organizational culture and practice, a single brand name has been used on varieties of products. Lastly, all the company products are positioned using the corporate name (there is no single positioning alignment for different products).
As indicated earlier the organization has more than 11000 hairdressing stores, hence offering each product under a different brand name might cause confusion to the consumers. Some buyers might view the products as substitute of each other. To avoid such errors, the organization came up with a common brand name to be used globally. Master brand architecture creates more products awareness as compared to other architecture methods.

Toni $Guy corporations:

The corporation has been considered as the master of mergers hence it employs a long term branding architecture consistency with its long term vision, mission, goals and objectives. Tony & Guy Corporation uses both the branded house and house of brand architecture to promote its products and services. The braded house strategy ensures that the consumers identify with the company’s name as a brand name. With a unique brand name, the consumers’ consumers are motivated to buy and add value to themselves.Secondly, to differentiate its products and services from those of competitors, the organization uses house of brand architecture: where the products names are used to promote consumer selection instead of the company’s brand name. A combination of the two approaches ensures that a long term relationship/ brand loyalty is built with the consumers where the company provides them with quality products and services.
The common branding strategies used within the organization depending with the nature of the products are: The endorser brand strategy and the source brand strategy. Endorser brand is deployed where: Due to the globalization and the diversity of target market, the organization carries out brand strategy in accordance with the market location/ region. This is done to create specific brand markets to specific brands. Under Endorser brand strategy, the company brand name guarantees quality and is known, each product has its own brand name, and single positioning line.Secondly, Sources brand strategy is used where the consumer are loyal to the company and are likely to buy any product as far as it is product by the organization. Toni & Guy applies source brand strategy:

Since its company brand name is recognized easily by the customers

The name guarantees quality to its consumers and the target market
The products are industry heroes
Although there is same company brand name, different products are positioned differently in the market.
Irrespective of not being the market leader in the hairdressing industry, the corporation have achieved the following objectives by combining several brand strategies:

Achieved its business goals and objectives under the guidance of the brand architecture strategy

Undertook appropriate decision making with regards to the current market conditions that affects the present and future of the organization.
Maintaining customer loyalty and determining how successful is the new product/ services unveiled in the market.

Bibliography

Asberg, U 2009, The brand relationship cycle: incorporating co-branding into brand architecture
London Fashion Week, http://toniandguy.com/pages/category/about-us/our-story (accessed
25 March 2015)
Muzellec, L. & Lambkin, M 2009, Corporate branding and brand architecture: a
conceptual framework. Marketing Theory
Rajagopal, RS 2004, "Conceptual analysis of brand architecture and relationships within
product categories", Journal of Brand Management, pp:233–247.