Is your brand a masterbrand, an umbrella brand, a powerbrand, or a superbrand?

Nothing is simple when it comes to branding.

Let’s have a look at the different brands an try to make some order. Let’s start with a masterbrand, aka an umbrella brand. Masterbrands are corporate brands that have a number of sub-brands underneath.

For example, British Airways is a masterbrand, with its Concorde, First Class, Club World, Club Europe, and Skyflyers as sub-brands. Other examples of strong masterbrands are Coca-Cola, Unilever, and Virgin, that all have a slew of sub-brands.

A powerbrand is a brand that has instant recognition, such as Starbucks, Ford, Google, Nike, Apple, Delta, Microsoft, etc. Ideally, a masterbrand is also a powerbrand and reflects the corporate strategy and image of the company.

A superbrand is a brand that:

1) has a strong message and image

2) stays faithful to it corporate mission over time

3) makes sure that all sub-brands are in sync with the masterbrand

Examples of superbrands are Gilette, Coca-Cola, Davidoff, Louis Vuitton, Burberry, and Lacoste. Branding is the lifeblood of all companies – big and small.

No matter if you are a multinational or a SMB/SME or a ZZP, your brand is what defines you. Make sure you keep your brand strong, consistent and inspiration.