I talked yesterday about brands expanding their offerings, and how it's a good thing - not bad.
There is one situation when it is bad, though. It's when brands adjust their brand, or create sub-brands.
Such is the case with Arby's Market Fresh. "Market Fresh" acts as a sub-brand to Arby's.
I'm also thinking along the lines of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom. In this case, the product Photoshop becomes a brand.
In both cases, the brand image becomes blurred or inconsistent.
All Arby's did was cater to the needs of their ever changing consumer. Instead of being like McDonalds and calling it a McSalad or what ever name they wanted they created a seperate menu. I would not consider Arby's Market Fresh a sub-brand but an extension of their menu. When you go to Arby's you have 2 choices in the menu the traditional Arby's menu and and Marketfresh menu. It is the same thing as going to another resturant and ordering a appitizer and a desert off of a traditional menu. Going on those lines Abry's is also changing the interior of their stores to make them seem like a resturant oppose to a fast food joint. I am sure that we will see more of the menus at fast food places changing their menus to include a healthier version of their menu under another name.