Today, mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are commonplace. They are strategic decisions grounded in geographic expansion, product and competency diversification, and brand leveraging. While businesses clearly address the associated legal and financial issues, they often overlook a critical component—brand management. Effective brand management goes well beyond the basic marketing tools. It requires an integrated approach to ensure consistency of your corporate message and identity throughout all aspects of your business. Without careful brand management, your M&A effort is vulnerable to failure.

Simply put, brand management helps to secure stability and brand loyalty for your company. You may consider discounting its importance to the M&A process, but be prepared for the possible outcomes:

• Brands are managed inconsistently and brand equity suffers
• Management and staff send mixed messages, creating confusion in the marketplace
• Company image/brand loses value in the market
• Employee morale decreases and turnover increases
• Customers lose confidence and leave
• Competitors steal your best customers
• Shareholder price plummets

Why is brand management frequently overlooked in the M&A process?

• Companies lack the experienced resources to focus on it.
• Organizations don’t realize the need to address it until it’s too late.
• Business leaders neglect it because they are concentrating on financial and legal issues.

Hiring an outside brand management strategist can bring dedicated resources and an independent perspective to the process. That’s why successful companies make brand management a cornerstone in their overall M&A strategy. By incorporating brand management in the early discussions around a merger or acquisition, your organization will come out stronger and more focused. Best of all, shareholders, clients, employees and the public will remain loyal to your brand.

Nearly 50% of all mergers fail to sustain or bolster shareholder value. Why? Because they don’t realize that brand is not an event. It’s a process. A brand management strategy ensures that your business can withstand the challenges associated with M&A, both today and through future market fluctuations. Working with an outside brand management team can help you assess and manage your company’s brand in relationship to specific competitors and the broader industry — a crucial part of any successful M&A effort.

Building Your Point of Distinction Your company builds brand with every customer contact, planned or unplanned. And, every interaction (no matter how insignificant) makes a lasting impression. Each impression combines with all those that have gone before to create your brand. Every gesture, every action, every word — every point of contact with your customer enriches or erodes your brand.

Whether you realize it or not, if you are in business, you have a brand and you must manage it continuously.

An effective brand management firm invests as much time in pre-planning as it does during the M&A announcement and post-announcement stages. They help companies by:

• Understanding the business and what the original brands were intended to represent.
• Aligning this knowledge with actual market perceptions to develop a strategic brand management plan.
• Identifying the strengths, weaknesses and opportunities associated with each company and assessing their impact on the “new” entity and existing business.
• Recommending brand management strategies that will drive the marketing and communication initiatives for the company.
• Researching and evaluating potential acquisition candidates or merger partners by answering questions like:
  • “How does the prospect’s brand compare to your company’s brand?”
  • “What is each brand’s strongest attribute?”
  • “How is the brand relevant to future customers?”
  • “Which candidate will best help reach strategic objectives?”
  • Should one brand dominate or should a new brand be created?”

• Determining the most beneficial identity for the new company. Maybe it’s keeping one name and getting rid of the other as Cingular did when it acquired AT&T Wireless. Perhaps it’s combining the names like Exxon and Mobil or creating a new name entirely as Verizon did when Bell Atlantic and GTE merged. All have their pros and cons. Cingular had the stronger brand recognition. For ExxonMobil, both companies boasted loyal customers. Keeping both names enabled them to retain both client bases. Bell Atlantic and GTE agreed to create a new wireless business with a single, national brand. In order to affect the change, the entity became known as Verizon.
• Assessing which brands to keep/eliminate and determining the appropria
  How To Write Powerful Headlines
  The headline is the most important element in any sales message your company ever uses. It is the opening sentence you use in any sales letter, brochure, print ad, or on you Web site.The purpose of a headline is to grab your prospect’s attention. Your headline should zero in on precisely who you want to reach, your target market. For example, if you want to reach homeowners, put the word “homeowners” in the headline.The headline should serve as the ad for your ad. It should tell the reader immediately and clearly the essence of what you’re trying to say in the body copy. The headline needs to tell people what your big benefit or promise is. Your headline should appeal to the reader or listener’s self-interest.The two most powerful words you can use in a headline are “free” and “new.” You cannot always use “free”, but you can always use
  brand equity suffers
• Management and staff send mixed messages, creating confusion in the marketplace
• Company image/brand loses value in the market
• Employee morale decreases and turnover increases
• Customers lose confidence and leave
• Competitors steal your best customers
• Shareholder price plummets

Why is brand management frequently overlooked in the M&A process?

• Companies lack the experienced resources to focus on it.
• Organizations don’t realize the need to address it until it’s too late.
• Business leaders neglect it because they are concentrating on financial and legal issues.

Hiring an outside brand management strategist can bring dedicated resources and an independent perspective to the process. That’s why successful companies make brand management a cornerstone in their overall M&A strategy. By incorporating brand management in the early discussions around a merger or acquisition, your organization will come out stronger and more focused. Best of all, shareholders, clients, employees and the public will remain loyal to your brand.

Nearly 50% of all mergers fail to sustain or bolster shareholder value. Why? Because they don’t realize that brand is not an event. It’s a process. A brand management strategy ensures that your business can withstand the challenges associated with M&A, both today and through future market fluctuations. Working with an outside brand management team can help you assess and manage your company’s brand in relationship to specific competitors and the broader industry — a crucial part of any successful M&A effort.

Building Your Point of Distinction Your company builds brand with every customer contact, planned or unplanned. And, every interaction (no matter how insignificant) makes a lasting impression. Each impression combines with all those that have gone before to create your brand. Every gesture, every action, every word — every point of contact with your customer enriches or erodes your brand.

Whether you realize it or not, if you are in business, you have a brand and you must manage it continuously.

An effective brand management firm invests as much time in pre-planning as it does during the M&A announcement and post-announcement stages. They help companies by:

• Understanding the business and what the original brands were intended to represent.
• Aligning this knowledge with actual market perceptions to develop a strategic brand management plan.
• Identifying the strengths, weaknesses and opportunities associated with each company and assessing their impact on the “new” entity and existing business.
• Recommending brand management strategies that will drive the marketing and communication initiatives for the company.
• Researching and evaluating potential acquisition candidates or merger partners by answering questions like:
  • “How does the prospect’s brand compare to your company’s brand?”
  • “What is each brand’s strongest attribute?”
  • “How is the brand relevant to future customers?”
  • “Which candidate will best help reach strategic objectives?”
  • Should one brand dominate or should a new brand be created?”

• Determining the most beneficial identity for the new company. Maybe it’s keeping one name and getting rid of the other as Cingular did when it acquired AT&T Wireless. Perhaps it’s combining the names like Exxon and Mobil or creating a new name entirely as Verizon did when Bell Atlantic and GTE merged. All have their pros and cons. Cingular had the stronger brand recognition. For ExxonMobil, both companies boasted loyal customers. Keeping both names enabled them to retain both client bases. Bell Atlantic and GTE agreed to create a new wireless business with a single, national brand. In order to affect the change, the entity became known as Verizon.
• Assessing which brands to keep/eliminate and determining the appropri
  11 Ways to Get the Success in Advertising
  1) In a competitive society or in a capitalistic country like ours, advertisements are a necessity. Factories mass-produce goods, shops and firm sell them. The advertisement of the goods is meant to attract a wide variety of customers to buy them. The production of goods without quick sale is to no purpose.2) We have different kind of advertisement to promote sales. Advertisement gives information about new products, about health and safety is called informative advertisement. Informative advertisement informs consumers about the range of goods and services available to them.3) The kind of advertisement that persuades peoples to buy thing is called persuasive advertisement. Persuasive advertisement is directed to consumers who do not need to buy products very much. However, through effective advertisement they
  ll come out stronger and more focused. Best of all, shareholders, clients, employees and the public will remain loyal to your brand.

  Nearly 50% of all mergers fail to sustain or bolster shareholder value. Why? Because they don’t realize that brand is not an event. It’s a process. A brand management strategy ensures that your business can withstand the challenges associated with M&A, both today and through future market fluctuations. Working with an outside brand management team can help you assess and manage your company’s brand in relationship to specific competitors and the broader industry — a crucial part of any successful M&A effort.

  Building Your Point of Distinction Your company builds brand with every customer contact, planned or unplanned. And, every interaction (no matter how insignificant) makes a lasting impression. Each impression combines with all those that have gone before to create your brand. Every gesture, every action, every word — every point of contact with your customer enriches or erodes your brand.

  Whether you realize it or not, if you are in business, you have a brand and you must manage it continuously.

  An effective brand management firm invests as much time in pre-planning as it does during the M&A announcement and post-announcement stages. They help companies by:

  • Understanding the business and what the original brands were intended to represent.
  • Aligning this knowledge with actual market perceptions to develop a strategic brand management plan.
  • Identifying the strengths, weaknesses and opportunities associated with each company and assessing their impact on the “new” entity and existing business.
  • Recommending brand management strategies that will drive the marketing and communication initiatives for the company.
  • Researching and evaluating potential acquisition candidates or merger partners by answering questions like:
    • “How does the prospect’s brand compare to your company’s brand?”
    • “What is each brand’s strongest attribute?”
    • “How is the brand relevant to future customers?”
    • “Which candidate will best help reach strategic objectives?”
    • Should one brand dominate or should a new brand be created?”

  • Determining the most beneficial identity for the new company. Maybe it’s keeping one name and getting rid of the other as Cingular did when it acquired AT&T Wireless. Perhaps it’s combining the names like Exxon and Mobil or creating a new name entirely as Verizon did when Bell Atlantic and GTE merged. All have their pros and cons. Cingular had the stronger brand recognition. For ExxonMobil, both companies boasted loyal customers. Keeping both names enabled them to retain both client bases. Bell Atlantic and GTE agreed to create a new wireless business with a single, national brand. In order to affect the change, the entity became known as Verizon.
  • Assessing which brands to keep/eliminate and determining the appropri
    Top 4 Transparency and Accountability Attributes for Electronic Medical Billing Software and Service
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    s or erodes your brand.

    Whether you realize it or not, if you are in business, you have a brand and you must manage it continuously.

    An effective brand management firm invests as much time in pre-planning as it does during the M&A announcement and post-announcement stages. They help companies by:

    • Understanding the business and what the original brands were intended to represent.
    • Aligning this knowledge with actual market perceptions to develop a strategic brand management plan.
    • Identifying the strengths, weaknesses and opportunities associated with each company and assessing their impact on the “new” entity and existing business.
    • Recommending brand management strategies that will drive the marketing and communication initiatives for the company.
    • Researching and evaluating potential acquisition candidates or merger partners by answering questions like:
      • “How does the prospect’s brand compare to your company’s brand?”
      • “What is each brand’s strongest attribute?”
      • “How is the brand relevant to future customers?”
      • “Which candidate will best help reach strategic objectives?”
      • Should one brand dominate or should a new brand be created?”

    • Determining the most beneficial identity for the new company. Maybe it’s keeping one name and getting rid of the other as Cingular did when it acquired AT&T Wireless. Perhaps it’s combining the names like Exxon and Mobil or creating a new name entirely as Verizon did when Bell Atlantic and GTE merged. All have their pros and cons. Cingular had the stronger brand recognition. For ExxonMobil, both companies boasted loyal customers. Keeping both names enabled them to retain both client bases. Bell Atlantic and GTE agreed to create a new wireless business with a single, national brand. In order to affect the change, the entity became known as Verizon.
    • Assessing which brands to keep/eliminate and determining the appropri
      Relationship Between the Brand Strength and Customers' Loyalty at Different Involvement Levels
      One of the first references in the realm of branding was presented by Robinson (1933), who maintained that it is possible to sell to different target audiences a variety of brands of the same product that are similar to one another. The reason is that they are different in quality, have different names, and bear different labels. Since this historical reference, branding has become a major marketing domain. In recent years, branding has been transformed from a means of identifying merchandise into a main element in the strategy of organizations. The changes in the perception of branding and the recognition of the importance of the new perspective were slow. Until recently, many organizations in the world tended to analyze marketing problems from a broad perspective of product perception. However, today the business viewpoint has changed and is more focused
      ompany’s brand?”
    • “What is each brand’s strongest attribute?”
    • “How is the brand relevant to future customers?”
    • “Which candidate will best help reach strategic objectives?”
    • Should one brand dominate or should a new brand be created?”

  • Determining the most beneficial identity for the new company. Maybe it’s keeping one name and getting rid of the other as Cingular did when it acquired AT&T Wireless. Perhaps it’s combining the names like Exxon and Mobil or creating a new name entirely as Verizon did when Bell Atlantic and GTE merged. All have their pros and cons. Cingular had the stronger brand recognition. For ExxonMobil, both companies boasted loyal customers. Keeping both names enabled them to retain both client bases. Bell Atlantic and GTE agreed to create a new wireless business with a single, national brand. In order to affect the change, the entity became known as Verizon.
  • Assessing which brands to keep/eliminate and determining the appropriate investment in each. Retaining current brands isn’t always the most effective or cost-efficient approach.
  • Implementing a PR/marketing strategy to communicate the merger to employees, clients, shareholders and the public. Brand policies and guidelines as well as training and compliance are critical in helping employees understand and effectively communicate the new brand. Your brand can be one of your most valuable business assets.
  • Facilitating the process of merging two cultures. How will the cultures merge? What are the core values and competencies of the new entity? Will the mission or philosophy change? How will the companies leverage the best from each to create a strong point of distinction?

  Brand management is the best investment merging companies can make. Done properly it can help the new entity:

  • Increase employee, customer, shareholder and vendor loyalty
  • Integrate two companies/cultures/brands effectively
  • Influence the perceived value of the effort in the market
  • Manage brands more cost-efficiently
  • Ensure employee commitment and confidence
  • Enhance profitability

  Your M&A effort requires a significant investment in time and money. At this critical juncture, take into careful consideration one of the most critical aspects of this effort — your brand. Addressing brand management as an integral part of the merger or acquisition process will help ensure your company’s success and competitive edge in the marketplace. And ask yourself, “What will be the point of distinction for my newly merged company?”