What is Mixed Branding? Exploring Definition & Examples
Mix Branding is a very creative type of marketing technique. Basically, One parent company launches different products and does their marketing differently. These products focus on getting the attention of a specific type of audience. For example, P&G most of you don’t even know the full name of this company. Procter & Gamble (P&G) is a multi-consumer goods corporation with a wide range of brands across categories such as beauty, grooming, health, and home care. Some of its brands include Pampers, Gillette, Head & Shoulders, Tide, and Olay, each serving specific consumer needs and preferences. Now see, Pampers specializes in child care products, Gillette focuses on men’s grooming, Olay caters to women’s beauty needs, and Tide is renowned for cleaning products. Together, these brands cover a broad spectrum of customers, addressing various consumer preferences and needs across different segments of the market. Each brand targets specific demographics and offers tailored solutions within their respective product categories. This diverse portfolio enables the company to reach and serve a wide range of customers effectively. This is Mixed Branding.
What is Mixed Branding in Simple Terms?
Same product, different names! That’s mixed branding. Imagine a store selling juice boxes. They might have one kind with a cartoon character for kids and another kind with a sleek design for adults. Both quench your thirst, but the branding speaks to different people. This approach allows the company to target different market segments or create distinct brand identities for its products. Essentially, mixed branding involves using multiple brand names within a single company to reach diverse customer groups or to differentiate products based on varying characteristics or price points.
Types of Mix Branding
- Individual Branding or Sub-Branding: Imagine a big brand with a mini-me. A sub-brand is a new brand created by a company to target a specific audience, but it still benefits from the reputation of the main brand. This approach involves giving each product its own unique brand name. The company may have a portfolio of products, each with its distinct identity and brand name. For example, Procter & Gamble owns multiple brands like Tide, Pampers, and Gillette, each with its separate brand identity.
- Umbrella Branding: Also known as family branding or corporate branding, this strategy involves using a single brand name across multiple related products. The products benefit from the established reputation and recognition of the parent brand. For instance, Sony uses its brand name across various electronics like TVs, cameras, and gaming consoles.
- Multi-Branding: In this approach, a company markets products under different brand names to target specific market segments or consumer preferences. The brands may offer similar products but cater to different customer needs or price points. An example is Unilever, which owns brands like Dove, Axe, and Lux, each catering to distinct consumer segments.
- Co-Branding: This is like a team-up of two brands. They create a new product together, combining their strengths to reach a wider audience. This type of mixed branding involves collaboration between two or more brands to create a new product or service. It leverages the strengths and customer bases of each brand. For instance, partnerships between Nike and Apple resulted in Nike+ products like sports watches and shoes that integrate with Apple devices.
- Mixed Parentage Branding: This strategy involves combining the parent company’s brand name with a different brand name for a product line. It’s often used when a company wants to leverage the reputation of the parent brand while creating a unique identity for a specific product range. For example, General Motors uses the Chevrolet brand for its cars but also offers the premium Cadillac line.
Tips for Effective Mixed Branding
Know Your Audience: This applies to any branding strategy, but it’s specially crucial for mix branding. You’ll need to understand the different segments of your audience and what motivates them. This will help you tailor your sub-brands to resonate with each group.
Craft distinct brand identities: Even if your sub-brands fall under the umbrella of your main brand, they should each have their own unique personality. This means developing distinct logos, color schemes, messaging, and even brand voices to resonate with their specific target audience.
Maintain clear brand hierarchy: Make it clear to consumers how your sub-brands relate to your main brand. This can be done through visual cues, consistent messaging, or even having the parent brand name incorporated subtly into the sub-brand’s logo.
Develop brand guidelines: Create a document that outlines the key visual components, messaging style, and brand voice for each sub-brand. This will ensure consistency across all marketing materials and touchpoints.
Track and measure performance: Don’t just launch your sub-brands and hope for the best. Regularly monitor their performance to see how they are resonating with your target audience. This will allow you to make adjustments to your strategy as needed.
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What are the benefits of Mixed Branding?
As i mentioned earlier mixed branding help your brand in many ways, some of them are mentioned below:
Reaching New Markets: Mixed branding lets you break out of your current customer base by creating sub-brands that target entirely new demographics. Thai widens your reach and allows your brand to reach a new market.
Target Customer Engagement: With distinct sub brands, you can create messaging and marketing that directly resonate with the specific needs of each customer segment. This targeted approach is far more effective than a generic market approach.
Mitigating Risk: A mixed brand agency spreads risk. If one sub-brand experiences a stump, it won’t necessarily hurt the reputation of your entire operation. Your other sub-brands will remain growing well.
Strengthen Brand’s Image: When done well, Mixed branding can actually enhance your overall brand image. It showcases your company’s ability to adapt and innovate, making your brand appear more dynamic and in tune with the evolving needs of your customers.
Increase Revenue Streams: By appealing to a wider audience with various sub-brands, you have the potential to create significant new revenue streams and boost your overall profitability.
Conclusion
If you’re a business owner looking for ways to expand your reach and grow, this blog post can help. Mixed branding offers a powerful strategy to connect with new customer demographics and cater to their specific needs. Imagine you have a premium tea brand, but you also want to offer a more accessible option for a wider audience. Mixed branding allows you to do just that, building a strong and lasting brand presence across different markets.