The UK’s divided brand shows the cracks in government’s designs
As the rhetoric regarding the vote for, or against, Scottish independence starts to heat up, for my part I can’t help but look at the situation from a branding perspective – and wonder at the pretty awful job the United Kingdom has done. And before you raise your eyes to the heavens, hear me out just a little, because good brand architecture can clarify the relationship between different products and services (England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales) within an organisation (UK plc).
A straw poll in my local neighbourhood (the consumer) reveals people can’t tell the difference between Great Britain and the United Kingdom (the master-brand), much less understand why, when Scotland (the sub-brand) takes to the sporting field (the market) it flies the Saltire and sings The Flower Of Scotland (sub-brand identity), but England sings God Save the Queen (master-brand identity) while flying the cross of St George (sub-brand identity).
If any self-respecting chief marketing officer had his brand architecture in this shape he’d pretty shortly be looking for a new role.
I’m not saying the answer lies in the world of branding, but perhaps the next time the government is tempted to think it knows best on the architecture of, say, the banking industry, maybe it should look a little closer at its own brand structure? If it had done a better job, we might not have found ourselves in this situation.
Andrew Mulholland is the managing director of strategic branding consultancy The Gild, www.the-gild.com.