Companies growing through acquisition or diversification often face a nuanced communications challenge: clearly communicating the relationship between brands. Getting this positioning right is crucial. It avoids confusion, protects reputations and tells a clear, compelling brand story.
Our team recently guided a client through this challenge. The work centered on defining the right external language to describe a related brand also owned by our client’s parent company. Ultimately, we recommended that our client position the two as sister companies—a decision rooted in strategy, not just structure.
That experience sparked a broader question. How can PR professionals communicate brand positioning through thoughtful messaging? Below are best practices and real-world examples to help communicators refine their messaging and ensure they’re telling the right story.
Why Brand Relationships Matter in PR Messaging
External clarity around brand relationships isn’t just good housekeeping. It shapes how stakeholders perceive a company, including its values and credibility. Messaging can influence investor confidence, media narratives and customer trust.
The most advantageous positioning isn’t necessarily the same as the legal structure. Just because a company is a subsidiary doesn’t mean pitches and website copy need to reflect that position. Audience understanding and market positioning should drive the brand’s presentation.
How to Message Three Brand Relationships
Brand positioning resists a one-size-fits-all approach. Below are three common relationships and examples of how PR teams can thoughtfully frame each one through external messaging.
1: Sister Brands
Definition: Distinct companies under the same parent, often serving different audiences or sectors.
Best Practice: Present as peers that share a common owner but maintain their own voice, culture and market niche.
Example: Facebook and Instagram under Meta. Each platform operates with its own identity, product updates and public messaging. When necessary, however, Meta’s involvement is made clear, especially in corporate statements or regulatory discussions.
Messaging Tip: Use “sister brand” if your goal is to suggest parity and independence. Reference shared ownership only when it adds value or credibility.
2: Sub-Brands
Definition: A brand that exists under a clearly defined parent brand.
Best Practice: Use the parent brand to lend trust and visibility while developing a distinctive tone and offering for the sub-brand.
Example: YouTube under Google. YouTube has its own presence and audience, but strategic references to Google lend authority in formal settings.
Messaging Tip: Highlight the parent brand when introducing new initiatives, partnerships or thought leadership materials. The relationship builds confidence through association.
3: Endorsed Brands
Definition: A brand that has its own identity but is “endorsed” by a parent brand, usually through a visible association like a logo or tagline.
Best Practice: Emphasize the unique identity of the endorsed brand while reinforcing the credibility or values of the parent brand.
Example: Marriott Hotels (Courtyard by Marriott, Residence Inn by Marriott). These brands maintain unique identities tailored to different traveler needs. The consistent “by Marriott” endorsement signals quality and trust across the portfolio.
Messaging Tip: Incorporate the parent brand in taglines, footers or corporate communications to build trust. Focus messaging on what makes the endorsed brand distinct while using the endorsement to reassure stakeholders of quality and stability.
PR Guidelines for Navigating Brand Relationships
How can a company know which structure best fits their situation? As experts in strategic communications, PR professionals play a key role in this decision. These guidelines can serve as a jumping-off point for deciding which brand structure is right:
- Align Internally First: A unified internal understanding of the brand relationship is essential before external messaging begins. Inconsistent language undermines credibility.
- Audit the Relationship: Understand the legal and operational dynamics at play. Talk to internal stakeholders across marketing, legal and leadership.
- Choose Terms Intentionally: Avoid defaulting to corporate speak without thinking through which terms to use (and which to avoid). Words like “division” or “subsidiary” carry specific connotations.
- Tailor Messaging by Audience: A press release may require more clarity than internal employee communications. Always consider what the audience needs to know.
Final Thought: Clarity Builds Confidence
Strategic brand positioning isn’t just a PR exercise—it’s a business imperative. When related brands are clearly and consistently messaged, it sets the stage for stronger narratives, better audience engagement and long-term reputation management with customers and prospects alike.
For PR professionals, the takeaway is simple: Use each word intentionally, understand the brand architecture deeply and always lead with clarity. Consistent language is your most effective tool in bridging brand architecture and public perception.
Tags: Brand, Company Messaging, External Communication, PR, Public relations
Filed under: Branding, Media, Planning, PR trends, PUBLIC RELATIONS, Sources, Strategy
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