What this is

One corporate story every subsidiary can inherit without distortion. Large groups accumulate narratives, and the incoherence is visible to anyone who reads three of your websites.

What it looks like in practice

  • Group narrative built on what is genuinely common across units
  • Inheritance rules so subsidiaries express rather than rewrite
  • Message architecture by stakeholder group
  • Rollout across subsidiary communication teams

What you get

Deliverables, stated up front.

Included in scope

  • Corporate narrative document
  • Subsidiary inheritance rules
  • Stakeholder message architecture
  • Rollout and training programme

Where it sits

Part of Corporate Reputation.

The standing of the institution, managed as a governed asset.

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Frequently asked

Narrative Architecture, in plain terms.

How do we get subsidiaries to adopt it?

By involving their communications leads in building it. Narratives handed down from a holding company are ignored, politely and completely.

How long does this take for a large group?

Ten to sixteen weeks depending on the number of units and how much interview access we get.

Does this replace individual brand positioning?

No. It sits above it. Product brands keep their own positioning; what they inherit is what the group stands for.

In more depth

One story a group can inherit.

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Groups accumulate narratives

Each business unit writes its own version, and the incoherence is visible to anyone who reads three of your websites. The fix is a group story specific enough to be useful and general enough to be inherited.

Inheritance rules, not a mandate

Subsidiaries need room to express the narrative in their own market language without rewriting it. We set what must stay fixed and what may flex.

Different stakeholders, same spine

Regulators, investors, employees and customers need different emphases. They must never receive contradictory versions of the same facts.

Also in Corporate Reputation

Related services.

Reputation AuditStakeholder Mapping

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