Brand your house � transparently

How does being a �house of brands� rather than a �branded house� impact your approach towards corporate reputation management?

Research released today by Weber Shandwick polled 575 executives from a spread of corporates in Brazil, China, the UK and the US. Somewhat unsurprisingly, it indicates that those of single-brand firms are significantly more likely to feel that enhancing their corporate reputation is equally important to enhancing the standing of their goods � 92% agree, versus just 75% of their counterparts at house-of-brand companies.

But could this be about to change? 79% of all those surveyed agree that buyers are increasingly checking product labels to find out which company made them, and 77% think shoppers are now doing more research into the manufacturers of the things they buy.

This Friday, during the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics, P&G will premier the TV broadcast of its cross-brand �kids� advert to millions � highlighting the role of mums around the world and bringing to life a positive brand message for the parent company of Ariel, Fairy, Pampers, Olay and the like � brands united by �making mums happy�, the company says. This follows hard on the heels of the newly branded P&G Capital Clean Up campaign, calling on �community champions� to transform London ahead of the Games. These social brand campaigns aren�t a sideline project � P&G�s current corporate tag line is touching lives, improving life.

We�ve recently seen similar efforts to unite house-of-brands corporate reputations from Diageo and Unilever. Like P&G, there�s a very clear theme here of demonstrating the positive social role of the brands united.

Multi-brand reputation management is increasingly important as consumers become more informed and pro-active. But it�s interesting to note that 65% of executives pursuing corporate branding strategies cite their main motivation as the �halo effect� on their goods. Carrot and stick are incentivising and necessitating greater communication about what a company stands for � but if it doesn�t stand for much, or if there are skeletons in the corporate responsibility closet, it risks being found out.

Whether a house of brands or a branded house, getting your house in order before you communicate your house�s values is key. The media, NGOs and social media are at the door. Transparency is the name of the game.