The concept of "umbrella brand" has recently entered our everyday life. What does it mean, what are its distinctive features, advantages and disadvantages. This article will be devoted to this.
In order to correctly understand the essence of the issue, it is necessary to know the meaning of the basic concept of this PR sphere, namely, the brand. Under this term, it is customary to understand a certain conditional graphic image or letter designation of the manufacturer of a particular product. Marketers position the brand as a stable symbolic perception of the brand by the consumer. It is this feature of the human psyche that determines the positive perception of some goods and the steady rejection of others.
Umbrella brand involves efficient and systematic "promotion" of several types of products under one well-known logo. It so happened that a consumer who is confident in the quality of one product of a well-known manufacturer is more likely to purchase another if he sees a familiar sign or name of the manufacturing company on it. So, for example,
a company that produces carbonated drinks, baby food, confectionery, tea and coffee, known to us under various trade names - umbrellabrand. Nestle, Swarzkopf, Coca-cola, Danon and many others can be a vivid example of this.
Types of brands
Today there are several varieties of the brand:
- Autonomous. It is intended for one product or product, although there may be several varieties in the line. For example, the Bounty bar.
- Light. This version involves the addition of a slightly modified product to the series of goods (a limited edition of Pepsi-Cola in an unusual blue color). At the same time, a further increase in the varieties of goods is not required.
- Brand extension. This strategy allows the manufacturer to release new products under an existing name. For example, new collections of bags of a famous brand. There can be as many as you like, but the name remains the same.
- Linear. This variety determines the presence in the product line of several products united by one purpose (hair care series: shampoos, rinses, hair masks, etc.).
- Umbrella brand. It is sometimes referred to as the "base". Its essence is in the production of products for the widest purpose, ranging from toilet paper to professional cosmetics or even clothes and shoes, for example. Only a company that is already popular and trusted by consumers can afford such a strategy.
Anchor Brand Benefits
The main benefits of an umbrella brand marketing campaign are:
- simplified product promotion schemethanks to brand fame;
- reducing the cost of bringing products to market. There is no need for large-scale expensive brand advertising or the search for an original name for a new product: the client will recognize the product by a familiar logo or manufacturer's name;
- increased sales due to a large number of products for various purposes.
Negative sides
The umbrella brand has a fairly significant drawback, which is the flip side of its advantages: a logo that looks like a well-known designation or symbol of a popular brand is often used by scammers to produce low-quality counterfeit products. Disappointed with a fake, the buyer can transfer a negative perception to all the manufacturer's products as a whole.
