To avoid brand confusion, large corporations typically build a decision tree to guide product branding. The first step in step in a decision tree typically relates to COMMITMENT. The questions are: Is a product committed to the corporate standards? Is there a strategy for maintenance and growth? Is a product one a fighting or price brand? The second branch in the decision tree usually relates to MARKET. Is a product marketed to consumers or business-to-business? The next step in the decision tree for consumer products is whether it’s APPROPRIATE. The questions are: Is a product a good fit with the Corporation’s image? Is a product consistent with the Corporation’s brand attributes? The fourth step in the decision tree for business-to-business business usually relates to the RELATIONSHIPS. The question is: Does a product have a perceived relationship to the Corporation? The next step in the decision tree for both types of products has to do with EQUITY. Does a product have a strong awareness and quality reputation? The next step in the decision tree has to do with PROPRIETORSHIP. Is a product to be protected against competitors? The next step in the decision tree relates to brand SUPPORT. Is there a strategy in place to grow the product through advertising, budgets and personnel, etc? The last step in the decision tree has to do with VISUAL EQUITY. Does the product logotype having existing visual equity?

Making yes no decisions at each step in the decision tree and assigning the logo and descriptor for each final branch of the tree is a useful way to provide guidance for brand managers working in large corporations with many products and service offerings.