Looking for a new brand? Perhaps you have one already and are considering a rebrand? Be careful, there are a lot of decisions to be made, time to be expended, money spent; and the results may not live up to expectations.

A mistake many businesses make (be they large or small), is failing to understand how brand architecture is an essential tool for good business.

A house-brand, or house-mark, is usually a single brand for your business that embodies your core values.  When people think of brands this is typically what they think about. For example Apple, Microsoft, Planet Fitness, etc.

So is your brand a mirror of your business identity?

Generally speaking, house-marks try to encapsulate your entire business philosophy or values.  When (re)branding house-marks a lot of effort is put into trying to define who you are and your brand story.  They are usually built to last and display what your goals and vision is for the future. 

Macpherson Kelley recently underwent an exhaustive consultation process involving staff and clients when we rebranded  our house-mark. We looked at what values we wanted to portray and how we could best position ourselves in the market to convey our beliefs and core skills. We also listened to what clients said about us and what they wanted from law firms.

It resulted in the development of five brand pillars that defined what we stood for and what we wanted clients to know us for. As well as creating a fresh new logo, colours and website, we also adopted an overarching theme – ‘law fit for business’. 

Taken together, they represent our new house brand.

Since a house brand is so central to your business identity it is important to ensure it is distinctive and used properly as a trade mark to strengthen its rights.  

Too often businesses start designing or redesigning their house brand without checking its legal strength and only seek help from marketing or branding agencies.  This can mean that the brand decided upon is ultimately useless and needs to be abandoned if it cannot be protected from copycats or competitors. 

When adopting a house brand or considering undergoing a rebrand, it’s best practice to seek specialist trade mark advice to ensure your new brand is built on solid foundations.

Authors: Mark Metzeling, Special Counsel and Colin Hanns, lawyer at Macpherson Kelley.