Brand architecture
Our brand is one of our most valuable assets. The Scania brand is more than just a name or a logotype — it represents everything we do, our commitment to excellence, and our legacy of success. Our brand strategy and therefore also our brand architecture focus on building a strong, singular brand to represent the whole organisation and our offerings.
Our brand gives us access to markets and plays a key role in driving our success. It embodies the Scania Way and reinforces our premium position.
No matter your role at Scania, every action and decision should safeguard and strengthen our brand. Together, we ensure that the Scania brand remains strong.
Our core principle: a single-brand strategy
Single-brand strategy
Scania pursues a single-brand strategy. The Scania brand is always the same, representing the whole organisation and our offerings regardless of geographical market.
The purpose of this strategy is to focus our investments, efforts, and communication on one brand while increasing our impact and clarity on the market.
The strategy means that we do not build a large portfolio of brands for different target groups or offerings but rather make sure that the Scania brand can represent everything we do.
The benefits of a single-brand strategy
There are several advantages of a single-brand strategy:
- A combined entity has more staying power, maintains focus
and strength and is easier to remember and recognise. - It helps maintain clarity and unity in branding and communication.
- It creates synergies across the product-service-solution portfolio.
- It enables easier customer navigation and a homogeneous brand experience, regardless of point of interaction (online, offline).
- It brings established associations, credibility and brand value from the brand into new launches and initiatives – and also strengthens the brand and employer brand by associating with the new offerings.
- Using the strong Scania brand equity and loyalty shortens the time to establish the desired market position for new solutions, and thus enables a first-mover advantage or trying out different business opportunities.
We focus our investments on increasing impact.
Consequences of a single-brand strategy
As our business expands into new areas, our brand may initially lack the awareness and strength it has within our core business which has been acquired for over 130 years. In these situations, it can be tempting to create a new brand as it might feel difficult to use the Scania brand. While this may bring short-term benefits, it prevents the Scania brand from gaining traction in the long run and requires maintaining a portfolio of brands.
Additionally, positive attributes associated with the new business area will not benefit Scania but remain with the separate brand. Therefore, the default decision when entering a new area is to do so under the Scania brand.
In other words, what we are giving up in using a single-brand strategy is a certain amount of flexibility, i.e. the ability to approach the market with different brands in different situations. We have determined that this potential flexibility is less valuable to us than the important gains of building a strong and relevant Scania brand with a high impact on all our important stakeholders.
Our general rule: all new initiatives to be part of the Scania brand.
Every brand strategy has exceptions
We always strive to follow our core principle and avoid creating or maintaining stand-alone brands.
However, within the Scania brand architecture, there is room for defined exceptions to the single-brand strategy. These are stand-alone brands within the Scania brand architecture, without visible connections to the Scania brand. Such exceptions should be few, clearly defined in time and scope and decided in accordance with this document.
In general, exceptions are made when a brand does not meet our brand criteria. These criteria define what could and should be included in the Scania brand, to maintain its strength and allow it to become even stronger going forward.
General principle: Avoid exceptions as these interfere with the impact and strength of the Scania brand.
The relationship with TRATON Group and the Core brands
TRATON GROUP
With its four Core brands – Scania, MAN, International, and Volkswagen Truck & Bus – the TRATON Group is a transportation powerhouse and one of the world’s leading commercial vehicle manufacturers.
Core brand vs. master brand
In the context of TRATON, Scania is referred to as one of TRATON’s Core brands. The term ‘Core brand’ should not be used in a Scania context, then the correct term is 'master brand', or simply 'the Scania brand' or 'our brand'.
The relationship is handled by TRATON
Questions about the relationship and co-existence between TRATON and the Core brands and between the Core brands are handled by TRATON. Questions connected to Scania’s brand architecture are handled by Scania and The Brand Management Team.
Even though Scania is part of TRATON Group, Scania is to be promoted and communicated as a separate brand. Hence, we use Scania's graphic profile (our name, logotype, typeface, templates etc.) in all external communication and in most internal communication.
For internal material that will be shared with and used by employees also at other companies within TRATON Group, TRATON's graphic profile and templates may however be used. The reason is to make the branding more neutral and by that make it easier to share and reuse the material within TRATON Group (without having to change to each company's respective graphic profile). Examples include internal manuals, guidelines and training material.
Please note that such common TRATON branded material must never be used externally by the individual companies within TRATON Group. For all external communication and material to be used externally (outside TRATON Group) each company's respective graphic profile must be used.
Visit TRATON brand portal to access and download TRATON guidelines and templates (e.g. for PowerPoint).
TENTIK is a trademark exclusively used for "common marking" parts, e.g. selected parts commonly used in the TRATON Group.
Use and marking is regulated in STD 19 Marking of parts.
Brand architecture
A brand architecture is a system and principles for organising and building brands within an organisation. It's not a reflection of the organisation itself, but the goal is to optimise and simplify the organisation's offering. The purpose is to establish the ‘rules’ that enhance the customer experience and ensure that customers and other key external stakeholders perceive the brand in a clear and consistent way. A well-constructed brand architecture allows a company to focus investments and thereby optimising its brand-building efforts.
General ways of organising brands within an organisation, with focus on one or multiple brands.
Brand architecture principles
With our brand architecture we want to minimise the number and complexity of brands to drive efficiencies and maximise impact by:
- Optimising and simplifying the organisation’s offering (not the organisation).
- Providing clear, logical connections to leverage equity between parts of the organisation.
- Recognising that there is no perfect model – there are always exceptions.
- Clearly separate what we fully control and what we do not control.
- Distinguishing between what is and isn’t (or looks like) a brand in the brand architecture.
The Scania brand architecture
Our brand strategy and therefore also our brand architecture focus on building a strong, singular brand to represent the whole organisation and our offerings. In the brand architecture we refer to the Scania brand by the role it plays – as our master brand.
However, even though most of our efforts are aimed at building the Scania brand, we have different categories within our brand architecture to match our business and the reality we operate in.
- Our master brand
- Strategic labels
- Exceptions: Stand-alone brands
To ensure consistency and alignment with our single-brand strategy, all entities within Scania must be classified into one of three categories:
1: Master brand
As an integrated part of our master brand Scania. For example:
Master brand:
Scania Group
Scania CV AB
Subsidiaries:
Scania Finans AB
Business areas:
Scania Financial Services
Business units:
Scania Deutschland GmbH
Captive dealer:
Scania Edinburgh
Products:
Scania Opticruise
Services:
Scania Flexible Maintenance
Initiatives:
Scania Top Team
2: Strategic labels
As a subordinate strategic label that is part of the master brand. For example:
Performance Labels:
V8
Contextual Packages:
XT
3: Exceptions
As an exception to the single-brand strategy, i.e. a stand-alone brand. For example:
Strategic local brand:
NEXT ERA
Stand-alone brands:
LOTS
Erinion
Juna
Elain
Svempas
Master brand
1. Master brand
The master brand is Scania, our single-brand that we focus most of our resources and efforts on. We invest heavily in the Scania brand to build the desired perceptions and to ensure its continued growth.
Master brand criteria
To maintain the strength of the Scania brand, we need to know what can and can not be represented by our master brand. Making exceptions means that we exclude the master brand from certain areas of operation, and from gaining new and important associations.
On the other hand, using the master brand to represent things that are incompatible with it could dilute or harm it.
The following criteria state what can and should be included in the Scania brand, and what should be excluded.
As we aim to use the Scania brand for as many initiatives as possible, it is important that these initiatives also align with how we have defined our master brand in our brand platform.
The experience of these initiatives must support the desired perception of Scania.
Note! As a general rule, initiatives that cannot adopt the Scania brand should not be initiated in the first place.
Our brand platform
To maintain the integrity of the Scania brand, it must only represent offerings and entities that we fully control. A prerequisite for all the initiatives that are part of the master brand is that we possess full ownership of the business or equivalent through a shareholders’ agreement.
The brand category is the functional definition of what our brand can and cannot represent. All operations that are considered for inclusion in the Scania brand shall always be matched against the brand category.
Scania’s core brand category:
Premium products, services and solutions for sustainable transport of goods and people, including trucks and buses for heavy transport applications and power solutions for industrial and marine applications. We also offer vehicle financing, insurance and rental, and fleet management services.
Scania’s related brand category:
Categories to enable the transition of the transport ecosystem within the following focus areas:
- Energy and infrastructure
- Asset management and circularity
- Autonomous and supply chain
Examples: charging solutions, recycling, data analysis and consulting, autonomous driving
Outside Scania’s brand category:
Offerings outside of the category should not be represented by the Scania brand.
Exceptions within the master brand
Within the Scania master brand, there are three exceptions in how we handle the master brand. These usages of the Scania brand are exclusive to these specific exceptions and cannot be deployed by any other unit within Scania.
Three exceptions within the master brand category:
Exception 1: Dual brand buses
For our dual brand buses, we externally only use the Scania wordmark, not combined with our symbol. This is because we only deliver one part of the product, not the full product itself.
Exception 2: Power solutions
For power solutions’ end-products, we use the Scania wordmark or logotype combined with "powered by", to clearly indicate that we only deliver one part of the complete end-product.
Exception 3: Independent/multi-brand dealers
Independent dealers may use the Scania brand to show that they represent Scania, e.g. in product marketing and signage on the premises.
How to name an entity within the Scania brand
When creating a name for an entity part of the Scania brand, it should primarily be descriptive. Scania provides the legal protection for these names. Names should be written with an initial capital letter for each word and the same font as the rest of the text should be used.
In certain cases, a more unique name may be developed, but it should always be used together with Scania, to be remained as the main sender.
Please note that we never attach taglines or other texts to the Scania logotype.
Read more in the Naming guidelines and the English language guidelines.
Approved names to be used as inspiration:
- Scania Financial Services
- Scania Deutschland GmbH
- Scania Edinburgh
- Scania Opticruise
- Scania Flexible Maintenance
- Scania Top Team
Strategic labels
2. Strategic labels
Strategic labels represent specific products and technologies within Scania’s offering. Strategic labels are not separate brands but are given specific prominence. They are kept under the Scania brand, and Scania is the sender of the label. The number of strategic labels should be kept to a minimum and be well-defined when they are needed.
Strategic labels criteria
Strategic labels represent a distinct Scania product or technology. These do not represent organisations or employ any people, and their identities are based on Scania’s brand identity. Scania is always the sender of the strategic label, i.e. these cannot stand alone.
This means that strategic labels are not sub-brands but rather sub-brand-like phenomena.
Note! The number of strategic labels should be kept to a minimum and be well-defined when they are needed.
The following criteria state what can and should be a strategic label, and what should be excluded:
The label must align with Scania’s business and brand strategy. It should be essential for maintaining Scania’s premium position and enhancing its market reputation or reaching a strategically important target group.
The label should have a clear and sustainable long-term investment plan, ensuring ongoing support and development. This plan should demonstrate a commitment to future growth and alignment with Scania’s strategic objectives.
A case needs to be presented to the Brand Management team, including proof of Criteria 1 and Criteria 2. The Brand Management team has the mandate to decide if the initiative should have a strategic label or not.
Our different types of strategic labels
The majority of our entities are categorised under the Scania master brand, ensuring consistency and alignment with our overarching brand strategy.
Only those initiatives that meet the stringent criteria are categorised as strategic labels, highlighting their exceptional importance and value to Scania.
Strategic labels are descriptive or semi-descriptive (e.g. alphanumerical) names that represent a product or technology that we want to highlight and give prominence. There are different types of strategic labels that guide the hierarchy, how they are presented and in which contexts.
This means that the Scania brand clearly provides the context and acts as sender, while the label can be given some visual distinctiveness for the name itself.
Scania has different types of strategic labels:
Performance Labels
V8 represents the V8 engine as a top performance offering from Scania. V8 is strategically important as it drives price premium and builds a sense of pride among customers and drivers.
Contextual Packages
XT represents the Scania trucks developed specifically for construction. XT is strategically important as it helps drive awareness within the construction category.
Stand-alone brands
3. Exceptions:
Exceptions exist within our brand architecture, even though they are and should remain few. These must always be well-motivated and meet certain criteria.
Main principle: avoid exceptions
To make exceptions from our single-brand strategy is essentially to redirect investment efforts intended for our master brand towards the stand-alone brand.
We therefore avoid exceptions to the largest extent possible and do not start any projects with the intention to make an exception for the brand in question.
General principle: Avoid exceptions as these interfere with the impact and strength of the master brand.
Potential needs for exceptions
Even though the rule of thumb is to avoid exceptions, it is important to take into account that Scania operates in a complex reality. As a result, we may sometimes need to make exceptions for a few, carefully selected, brands.
In rare circumstances, the following situations can motivate discussions and investigations for possible brand exceptions to our single-brand strategy.
The entity must demonstrate added business value as a separate entity through a detailed business case. This includes proving potential revenue streams and justifying and being able to independently sustain long-term investment in the brand. Approval requires clear evidence of financial benefits and a demonstration that these benefits cannot be achieved under the Scania brand.
The entity must demonstrate that it does not fulfil the criteria for inclusion in the Scania brand. This requires a detailed analysis showing why it cannot align with Scania’s brand platform and brand category.
If Scania does not have full control of the initiative due to shared ownership, joint venture or similar circumstances, then it should not be part of the Scania brand. Maintaining full control is essential to ensure the integrity and consistency of the Scania brand.
If an entity needs to operate independently from the Scania brand due to conflicts with Scania's channels, the need to remain neutral, involvement with Scania's competitors, or because Scania cannot be a credible messenger, then it should not be part of the Scania brand.
If the entity needs to strive for a brand and market position that is incompatible with the Scania brand, it should not be part of the Scania brand. For example, a price-fighter position is incompatible with Scania’s premium position.
Strategic local brand
A strategic local brand in the Scania brand architecture is a brand with a specific, strategically significant and locally focused role and reason for being. This category is exclusive to the brand NEXT ERA, aimed at the Chinese market.
NEXT ERA receives a bespoke and exclusive endorsement from the Scania brand, specifically aimed at the Chinese market and only expressed in Chinese. This endorsement relationship is not replicated anywhere else. The brand name is followed by "from Scania" written in Chinese, signalling the connection.
The term Strategic underlines that this is a rare and carefully considered case.
The term Local reflects its market-specific nature.
Together, they offer flexibility in how we present the brand – internally and externally – and allow for future changes in the relationship, if needed, without disrupting the overall brand structure.
Stand-alone brands
Managing stand-alone brands
Whenever an exception, i.e. a stand-alone brand, is created in our single-brand brand architecture, there are a number of implications that need to be considered.
Notably, a number of items need to be managed separately from Scania, to keep the separate brand actually separate. Mixing identity elements, internal systems, etc. between brands will reduce the impact of the total brand presence in the market.
For example, a common IT or HR structure used ‘behind the scenes’ must be clearly separated for the users. As this could result in visible co-existence and a confusing market presence by showing connections between brands in an ad-hoc manner.
Maintaining stand-alone brands therefore needs resources, both in terms of finance and people as well as upholding parallel structures over time.
Examples of parts within the stand-alone brand that
should be kept and maintained separate from Scania:
- Organisation and legal entity
- User interface for systems for R&D, IT, HR, sourcing etc.
- Communication and brand–building activities
- Apps, software, tools, instructions and manuals
- Channels such as website, e-mail, social media
- Employer branding
The relationship between Scania and the stand-alone brand
Stand-alone brands within the Scania brand architecture should in general not be associated with the Scania brand. As the reason for creating a stand-alone brand is a need to separate from Scania, this implies that a visible connection or relationship between the brands is undesirable and potentially harmful to one or both brands. A stand-alone brand can verbally mention its origins within Scania but cannot use the Scania brand, the logotype or any Scania identity elements.
If the motivation behind the stand-alone brand is not a conflict with the Scania brand but rather a lack of control, as can be the case with a joint venture, it can be desirable for all parties involved to leverage the connection. All co-branding needs to follow the rules within the co-branding guidelines, clearly state the relationship between the different brands and be approved by the Brand Management.
Contact
Contact Brand Management via the Scania Identity Helpdesk for any questions regarding the brand architecture.
Brand architecture
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