Sonova's growth by acquisition left it with brands such as Phonak, Unitron, Hansaton, Advanced Bionics and AudioNova operating independently, confusing stakeholders about how they fit together and what Sonova stood for. Vivaldi Group analyzed the portfolio and designed a customer-centric masterbrand architecture that gave each sub-brand a clear role, supported by messaging frameworks for each audience. Sonova gained a stronger overall brand presence and a more coherent portfolio in the hearing care market.
As Sonova grew through acquisitions, its product and business brands operated independently, fragmenting the portfolio and diluting brand equity. Stakeholders were unsure how the brands related to each other and what Sonova itself stood for, which hurt both customer clarity and marketing efficiency.
Vivaldi analyzed the portfolio and designed a customer-centric brand architecture that reinforced Sonova as a coherent masterbrand while giving sub-brands clear, structured roles. Stakeholder-facing messaging frameworks explained the system to each audience.
Sonova gained a simplified masterbrand architecture that strengthened corporate brand equity and aligned sub-brands under a logical, customer-relevant framework, improving market coherence and stakeholder confidence.
| Client | Sonova |
|---|---|
| Industry | Healthcare, hearing care |
| Brands | Phonak, Unitron, Hansaton, Advanced Bionics, AudioNova |
| Vivaldi scope | Portfolio analysis, brand architecture strategy, sub-brand roles, stakeholder messaging frameworks |
| Outcome | A simplified masterbrand architecture; stronger corporate brand equity; improved market coherence |
Sonova built its position in hearing care partly through acquisitions. Each new business brought its own brand, and over time Phonak, Unitron, Hansaton, Advanced Bionics, AudioNova and others operated largely independently.
The result was fragmentation. Audiologists, hearing care professionals, consumers and other stakeholders were unsure how the brands related to one another and what Sonova as a company stood for. Brand equity was spread thin and marketing investment worked less hard than it should.
Vivaldi analyzed the full portfolio and designed an architecture built around how customers choose, not around how the company had grown. Sonova was reinforced as a coherent masterbrand, and each sub-brand was given a clear, structured role within it.
Stakeholder-facing messaging frameworks then explained the system to professional and consumer audiences alike. Vivaldi’s comparison of house of brands and branded house models sets out the options Sonova weighed.
For the main architecture types, see Vivaldi’s guide to five types of brand architecture.
Sonova, the Swiss hearing care leader with revenues exceeding CHF 3.6 billion and brands including Phonak, Unitron, Hansaton, Advanced Bionics, and AudioNova, engaged Vivaldi after acquisition-driven growth created a complex brand portfolio that confused stakeholders and diluted equity. Vivaldi analyzed the portfolio, designed a masterbrand architecture that reinforced Sonova’s corporate role while giving sub-brands clear structured positions, and built stakeholder-facing messaging frameworks that improved coherence across professional and consumer audiences in the hearing care market.
Sonova Holding AG is a Swiss global leader in innovative hearing care solutions, headquartered in Stäfa, Switzerland. The company operates a portfolio of brands including Phonak, Unitron, Hansaton, Advanced Bionics, and AudioNova, serving audiologists, hearing care professionals, and consumers worldwide. With revenues exceeding CHF 3.6 billion and a presence in more than 100 countries, Sonova is one of the largest and most diversified companies in the global hearing care market.
A simplified, customer-centric masterbrand architecture that reinforced Sonova’s corporate brand and gave sub-brands such as Phonak, Unitron and Advanced Bionics clear roles, plus messaging frameworks for each stakeholder group.
It organized the brands around how customers and professionals choose hearing care, rather than around the history of acquisitions. That made the relationships between brands easier to understand.
The market serves several audiences at once, including audiologists, hearing care professionals and consumers. A clear architecture tells each of them which brand does what and why the company behind it can be trusted.
Every acquisition adds a brand, and without a deliberate architecture the portfolio fragments. Defining the masterbrand’s role and each sub-brand’s place early protects equity as the company grows.