Good morning [%first_name |Dear Reader%],

Happy Holi! Spring is here, and I wish you a day filled with colour and the company of your loved ones. 

I don’t want to get into the story of Holi today (that’s a something for another edition), but I will point out that heroes from Indian mythology, or any mythology for that matter, exist in worlds that are full of other heroes. And I use ‘hero’ as a gender-neutral term. Each of them may star in their own adventure thriller or romantic comedy, but they are all just as important in the larger story of the world they co-exist in. 

Brand narratives aren’t much different. Very often, there are brands that co-exist under the umbrella of a larger parent—think large consumer goods giants such as Procter & Gamble or Unilever. They own hundreds of brands, all telling their own stories. All of which then tie into the parent’s own sweeping narrative. 

A house of brands. 

Like the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There are Spider Man movies and Iron Man movies. But then, there are also the Avengers films. Because broad spectrum narratives that build sense out of chaos are important, whether you’re building a superhero film franchise or a platform of brands. 

But how do you build a good house-of-brands story? And what makes them tick?

The trick to telling a good house-of-brands story

What is common between a petcare brand, a unisex skincare brand, and one that sells handmade chocolates and instant coffee cubes made with date palm jaggery? All of them are owned by IDAM House of Brands—a fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) startup backed by Ananta Capital that is going for (surprise, surprise!) a house of brands strategy. IDAM wants to acquire four more such brands this year, which begs the question—why? And why these brands? 

The answer hasn’t been clear thus far, but with IDAM’s acquisition of food and beverage brand Bevzilla earlier this week, we’re starting to get some inklings. 

For one thing, and that’s quoting IDAM founders Aakash Anand and Saahil Nayar, the product is niche. Which means that the brand’s audiences/consumers are very specific and defined. Another common point is where these brands are in their journey towards success at scale.