Endorsement: how visible should the main brand be?
Not every brand needs to be in the spotlight. Sometimes, the art lies in keeping the parent brand subtly in the background. The right degree of endorsement – the visible or perceived support of a parent brand for a sub-brand or product line – is often a strategic choice. But when do you opt for a subtle reference to the parent brand, and when does it make sense to offer more explicit support?
A sub-brand can receive varying levels of endorsement, from a clear sender such as Apple Watch, to a more independent brand like Magnum, where parent company Unilever is barely visible.
Every brand or product sits somewhere on the spectrum between a master brand and a standalone brand. Endorsed brands sit right in between. Strictly speaking, we can distinguish between two types:
- Eendorser brands: where the parent brand influences and steers the sub-brand on a strategic level (think Nescafé by Nestlé).
- Endorsed brands: where the parent brand acts more as a quality label or silent backer, such as Aveve by Arvesta or Opium by Yves Saint Laurent.
Endorsement can be subtle or explicit: through naming, design, positioning or visual association. The right degree is no coincidence but depends on brand strategy, target audience and positioning.
In group structures, where a company manages multiple sub-brands or business units, the reflex is often to bring everything under the parent brand. Yet that’s not always the best idea.
At Milcobel, for example, the decision was made not to visibly link consumer-facing dairy brands (such as Brugge Kaas) to the parent company. The only reference to Milcobel appears on the back of the packaging. Why? Because Milcobel is known as a cooperative dairy processor with an industrial and B2B reputation. For consumers, that link is either irrelevant or even confusing. A visible endorsement could reduce the emotional impact of the sub-brands rather than add value.
At the same time, the sender role of the parent brand is strategically valuable in other contexts. For retailers, suppliers, or potential employees, the umbrella brand can signal trust and scale. Especially when there’s a strong corporate story behind it, activating the parent brand can pay off – for instance, in stakeholder relations or employer branding.
‘Keep endorsement light or avoid it entirely when the parent brand operates under a different market logic than the sub-brand.’
Thierry Cattoir
|Founder & Branding Architect, Remarkable Europe
Endorsement also plays a role in the relationship between a brand and its product lines. For Aqualex, known for its design and water systems, we developed a sub-segment of outdoor taps under the name Alasq. The name sounds like a standalone entity but subtly carries the Aqualex DNA.
How? By integrating the distinctive ‘Q’ and applying the exact same typography as the main logo. There’s no explicit ‘by Aqualex’, but instead a visual harmony that builds trust without boxing the product into a narrow brand identity. Communication runs through the Aqualex website, but ALASQ is positioned as a separate brand.
Another form of endorsement is the creation of name clusters through a recognisable prefix or naming pattern. Think McDonald’s, which uses names like McFlurry and McChicken to create a strong brand family without repeating the parent name in full. This, too, is a form of endorsement – through linguistic recognition.