One brand, two speeds. Thriving with a dual‑model business.

Stuart Lang
Jun 19
3 min read

Many ambitious B2B businesses reach a stage where they’re operating on two very different planes. For entirely different audiences:

High-volume, low-price products or services - delivered at scale with efficiency. Less glamorous but highly repeatable and immediately accessible.
Low-volume, high-value offerings - bespoke, relationship-driven, high-margin. The show-stoppers that demand much more time, but are hard to scale.

This dual-model isn’t flawed - it is growth. But only if it's structured with clarity.

Each alone is powerful and offers real value. But together, without a clear strategy to unify them, they risk pulling the business in different directions - overwhelming internal teams and muddling your brand externally.

At Propellant, we see this challenge again and again, from property firms expanding into premium developments, to engineering groups balancing standard contracts with bespoke R&D consultancy. And it’s only growing.

The Strategic Tension Having multiple strands to your offer isn’t a problem in itself. In fact, it can be a growth driver. The problem arises when you lack a coherent strategy for how these strands connect - or don’t.

Leaders often ask:

Should we lead with premium or accessible?
Do we have one brand or two?
Can we speak to both audiences without confusing them?
Are we structuring our teams in a way that supports both ends?

The Brand Risks - of doing nothing. Or doing it wrong:

A confused or diluted brand can weaken performance in both areas:

Your premium clients begin to question your focus, and the value of your offering
Your volume customers feel underserved or overwhelmed - questioning whether they can afford what you provide
Competitors with a clear, single-focus brand can start stealing market share

We’ve seen businesses lose traction because they tried to be everything to everyone, and ended up with no real standout to anyone.

Over time, they lose credibility at both ends. In forgetting what made them special in the first place, it results in a spiral of despair and commercial negativity.

✅ Examples of Brands That Nail It

Bosch

High-volume: Power tools, home appliances under BSH Hausgeräte
High-value: Industrial automation, engineering systems
Their masterbrand promise of "precision and reliability" resonates across both

Fujifilm

High-volume: Consumer instant cameras and printers
High-value: Medical imaging systems, specialty chemicals
They rebuilt as a scientific innovation-led company post-film era, with clear brand architecture designed for different audiences.

Siemens

High-volume: Smart Infrastructure - building automation, energy systems
High-value: Digital Industries - industrial automation & IoT software; Healthineers - a standalone medical diagnostics brand
Their segmentation by division and consistent global brand enable them to meet both mass and specialised markets effectively.

High-volume: Scotch Tape, Post-it, N95 masks
High-value: Industrial adhesives, healthcare diagnostics
Though more fragmented, they balance consumer & enterprise audiences with a brand focused on innovation and technical performance.

❌ When Dual-Model Strategies Fail

GE stretched too thin across consumer and industrial sectors - leading to brand dilution and eventual spin-offs.
Yahoo tried to serve consumers and enterprise advertisers - ending up lacking focus in both, and lost relevance.
Uber struggled with brand perception when extending premium (“Black”) services, particularly amid wider controversies, frustrating business clients.

How to Get It Right

Segment with purpose > Define what each audience needs - and what you uniquely deliver.
Define your brand architecture > Masterbrand with sub-brands? Endorsed? Standalone brands? Or a hybrid approach? Make it intentional.
Align your operations > A high-volume mindset is very different from boutique. Your structure needs to reflect both.
Control the narrative > Set internal clarity and external messaging intentionally from day one.
Embrace your secret sauce > Remember what made you special in the first place, and remind people why it’s still important now.

Why This Matters

A powerful brand isn’t just a logo or tagline - it’s the glue that aligns your business for growth. Done right, both ends of your model reinforce each other. Done wrong, they work against each other.

At Propellant, we’ve helped clients across property, manufacturing, engineering, and financial services weave these dual strands into coherent, scalable brands. If your challenge spans volume and value, compelling markets and margins - you don’t need more products. You need clarity.

If you want to see how your brand measures up, let’s start the conversation.