Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Mobile, Virgin Money - all unrelated businesses under one parent name. Compare Unilever: you've never heard of them but you know Dove, Lynx, Marmite. Your architecture choice determines every future product launch.
Branded House Strategy
FedEx, Virgin, Google. Parent brand visible in all products. Low launch costs, high efficiency.
House of Brands Strategy
P&G, Unilever, Mars. Parent invisible. Each product has unique name. Higher launch costs, targeted positioning.
Hybrid Strategy
Marriott Hotels, Toyota Lexus. Parent brand supports but doesn't dominate. Balance of efficiency and differentiation.
Decision Framework
Single market? Branded house. Multiple unrelated markets? House of brands. Expanding within industry? Hybrid.
UK Examples
Tesco (branded house: Tesco Value, Tesco Finest). Diageo (house of brands: Guinness, Johnnie Walker, Baileys).
Warning: Architecture decision is irreversible without massive rebrand. Choose wrong and you're locked in for decades.
Generic Names Can't Be Trademarked
If you want legal protection and a name competitors can't copy, make it distinctive from day one. Architecture strategy requires multiple distinctive trademarks.