How can a newly merged organization overcome employee skepticism to create a new brand? How can fierce loyalty to a legacy brand be transferred to an entirely new brand? These were among the pressing concerns of the CEO of HALO, a branded merchandise company. With the backing of one of the country’s leading private…
Mergers and acquisitions are most often viewed from a financial perspective. However, as brand strategists, we have seen firsthand that success often relies on less tangible factors. The “fit” may look great on paper, but achieving that promise requires more than a rationalized product portfolio. Success requires a rationalized workforce that understands the how’s…
From a business perspective, few things are as critical to get right as a major merger or acquisition — and few things are as challenging.
On the long list of considerations during M&A activity, merger branding is one of the most crucial. Not getting the brand right is a key reason that, according to…
Let’s play a branding game. Consider the following M&A scenarios:
A global leader in payments technology makes more than 25 acquisitions on five continents to drive growth and innovation against emerging tech upstarts.
A major investment firm completes a series of acquisitions to fortify its strongly stalwart parent brand with scrappier, more…
When two companies come together, whether through a merger or an acquisition, they almost invariably rebrand to reflect the combined strengths, value proposition and vision of the new entity. But a merger or acquisition is typically a process that can last months or even a year or more. During this period, a company’s customers…
Crisis can pave the path for reinvention. Few industries have been more affected by the global pandemic than travel and hospitality. During this sea change moment, Wyndham Destinations seized an opportunity to reimagine its business.
In 2020, DeSantis Breindel began working closely with Wyndham Destinations as it sought to diversify its business beyond vacation timeshares…
Branding can make or break your M&A deal.
A powerful, unified brand is critical to unlocking M&A value. You will need to leverage your brand power in order to ensure a successful merger outcome.
Not sure where to start? We’ve based this ebook, “The Secret to M&A Success…
At heart, a lot of brand marketing is about recognizing patterns. Strategists note the associations clients have with brands, and we see correlations between behaviors and outcomes.
So when four DeSantis Breindel brands were honored at the annual Transform Awards, we weren’t content to rest on our laurels. Instead, we wanted to know what…
It’s a common question for newlyweds. Do they each keep their birth names, opt to use one name, or hyphenate? When B2B brands marry, however, the name game gets really tricky.
It’s even more acute when the merging enterprises occupy the same business segment and are merging equals. Sometimes it’s relatively simple…
According to the Harvard Business Review, “study after study puts the failure rate of mergers at somewhere between 70-90%.” More often than not, brand is not promoted or leveraged to provide unity, clarity and solidarity during this critical inflection point, yet brand can make all the difference between success and failure for the companies…
In 2015, a year marked by unprecedented M&A activity in the technology industry, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (itself a spin-off) made headlines with its announcement of plans to spin-off its technology services operations and merge them with those of Computer Sciences. As then-Chief Executive Meg Whitman told it, the deal was…
In 2018, there were more nearly 50,000 M&A transactions around the world. From tech to healthcare, consolidation is on the rise, and companies small and large are placing their bets on M&A activity as a strategic driver of growth. In this environment, it’s safe to assume that most B2B…
To rename or not to rename? Clients often want to answer this question early in the project. And it makes sense. A new corporate or sub-brand name is not only very exciting, it’s also a huge investment. However, for this very reason, it’s may be best to postpone a naming decision until…
As behemoths are built, so do they separate. Corporate spinoffs are often in the news these days. From Bayer, to HP Enterprise, to DowDupont, many major conglomerates are spinning off divisions in hopes that narrowed focuses will result in easier management—and thus, higher profits. Siemens AG is one of the most prolific dismantlers, carving…
Two regional banks’ futures are on the line, and all stakeholders await the decisions of the top brass: will a merger-of-equals result in lay-offs? At large firms today, most communication happens through email, and that’s how a lot of news is delivered (hopefully employees never have to learn company news via…
According to Dealogic, a record $962.6 billion worth of cross-border deals have been announced via 5,498 transactions so far this year. This represents a 38% increase in volume year-on-year ($696.1 billion in 2017 YTD), despite deal activity having dropped 18% over the same period (6,680 deals in 2017…