Question

Topic: Branding

Subsidiaries And Identities

Posted by Anonymous on 4/15/2011 at 11:44 AM ET 250 Points
Here's the dilemma - we have a client who is a scientific research group, they will soon become a subsidiary of a hospital. Our client, the research group, has a long history dating back over half a century. The hospital they are joining would like them to drop their identity and use the hospital's by simply adding their name under the hospital's logo.

Considering how established and respected our client is in the medical research industry, we felt this was absurd of the hospital to assume our client would relinquish their identity. Moving forward, our client is turning to us to help them address this issue. Possible solutions being considered are creating a new identity for our client that would be unified with the hospital's and simply creating a new logo for our client (as it is dated) and somehow including the hospitals identity adjacent to our client's, and lastly, which I feel is most proper, creating a new identity for our client which would include a line stating it is a subsidiary/affiliate of the hospital.

I'm looking for professional's opinions on this matter as well as any examples you could point me to that show how other entities have handled such matters - Thank you!
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by michael on 4/15/2011 at 12:18 PM Member
    Craig,
    You're almost in danger of treading on the hospital's marketing "guru". So, my suggestion would be to come up with a campaign that highlights the experience that will now be available....full time...to that hospital's clients.

    Just my 2cents.

    Michael

  • Posted by mgoodman on 4/15/2011 at 2:08 PM Accepted
    If the hospital paid to acquire your client, then they get to call the shots. Your obligation is to explain to them why THEY are better off keeping your client's brand and positioning intact (if, in fact, they are).

    If the hospital bought your client's business because they wanted the technology (and not the profit from sales revenue), then there may not be a compelling reason to keep your client's identity separate from that of the hospital.

    If, on the other hand, they bought the revenue stream represented by your client, then they should be very receptive to an approach that doesn't jeopardize your client's marketplace recognition.
  • Posted by Peter (henna gaijin) on 4/15/2011 at 8:20 PM Member
    I am with mgoodman and mbarber - absurd or not, the hospital owns your client, so gets to tell your client what they want. The best you can do is try to give some facts related to how this change would likely impact your client, but there is a good chance they will go ahead and do it anyway and just accept this impact.
  • Posted by Chris Blackman on 4/16/2011 at 1:49 AM Member
    I'm with Michael Goodman and Marcus Barber but have a codicil to their comments:

    If there was a genuine quantifiable strategic value in your client's brand as opposed to just in their IP, why would the hospital want to ditch that?

    Conversely, if there is no strategic value in the brand, why keep it?
  • Posted on 4/18/2011 at 8:46 AM Author
    Thank you to everyone that responded. You all present valid points that I will use in my case to support our client's interests to retain their identity. Our client and the hospital do have two separate audiences, so we believe there are many benefits to the hospital for our R&D client to keep their identity.

    Thank you,
    Craig
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