Question

Topic: Branding

Rebrand Of Two Merging Co's - Starting Point

Posted by Anonymous on 1/16/2008 at 11:10 AM ET 250 Points
Hi All - I'm not long in a Marketing role, which is also new to the company, ie: I am the Marketing department. FYI in brief, the co is a consultancy firm for lean performance/improvement, target market are the CEO's in manufacturing and transactional management. Since I joined, the CEO been in talks with another co and the two are now merging. The other co has the same target market and is more people oriented (whereas co I am currently with are process oriented). The target kick off for this in the public domain is March 1st.

There are many synergy's between the two co's, and have no doubt that the future relationship will bring positive and profitable results.

My degree is in Marketing, but since I left college I have been more involved with the promotional/sales/account mgt side of things than the 'strategic' nut and bolts of Marketing, and so while I am aware of tools and strategies that are out there, I am finding it hard to find a starting point...I'm doing lots of reading on branding and rebranding, but I want to start working on something tangible.

We are in the process of thinking of a new name (they want something short n sweet, and doesn't have to describe what we do..can be just a random name..any suggestions also greatly appreciated).

Is a Marketing Plan for the new merge the best start?

I understand this may be too vague, so let me know what further info is needed.

I do see this as a great challenge for me, I'm not afraid to say it's too big a job for me if I feel I can't do it and the company justice once I get started, but I want to give it a good shot and if I get the ball rolling I feel I'll really enjoy it.

Looking forward to your comments/views/suggestions.

Lola
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  • Posted on 1/16/2008 at 1:03 PM Accepted
    Lola:

    With all due respect, this is the type of initiative you should get outside facilitation with (and while i congratulate you for coming to this forum, i am saying you need ongoing assistance also).

    Company naming and branding, especially under merger scenarios, is such a great opportunity to reevaluate what the company represents:

    - the target customer base
    - the value proposition
    - the competitive differentiation
    - how you want to be seen in a crowded field of consultants

    THEN you can worry about a name and a logo, and all the rest.

    This effort requires internal workshops among key execs from both entities, good competitive analysis, and lots of customer input.

    I hope this thumbnail sketch gives you a sense of my direction on this. Contact me offline if necessary.

    Have fun! ;)
  • Posted on 1/16/2008 at 1:24 PM Accepted
    I guess the first bit of groundwork is to build a project plan that lists everything thing you think needs to happen and by when (that way you remain in control - not a vendor or higher-level exec). Include on the plan any prep steps for each activity, and which ones you will do and which ones might need outside support. Excel works fine if you don't have a project mgt package.

    Example (does not incl prep steps or timing):
    - Finalize and gain approval on project plan/timing/funding
    - Conduct internal workshops
    - Conduct competitive analysis
    - Conduct customer research - in-person qualitative
    - Conduct customer research - online qualitative
    - Compile and analyze findings
    - Present stage 1 recos to key execs
    - Review outcomes with small customer panel
    - Review stage 2 recos to key execs
    - Review outcomes with small customer panel
    - Begin creative treatments - logo, style guides
    - Soft launch
    - Full launch

    I imagine you could manage most of this, and might need outside help in:
    - Facilitating the internal workshops
    - Question development for all surveys
    - Second set of eyes during analysis and recos (optional)
    - Creative work up

    Does that help?
  • Posted on 1/16/2008 at 2:09 PM Accepted
    Marketing Plan is the most important first step in business. There's an article that clearly outlines the perfect marketing plan. You can check the article here https://expressioncentersmb.wetpaint.com/page/How+the+Perfect+Marketing+Pla...

    Good Luck!
  • Posted by Tracey on 1/16/2008 at 7:16 PM Accepted
    Here are some things to consider -- definitely not an exhaustive list, but they may help you get started.

    Branding - What's the new brand? How can you merge the two company personalities/brand images into 1 cohesive brand? This includes:

    Internal branding - Hugely important and often ignored. How are you communicating the merger, and your branding plan, to your employees? They are the ones that represent the brand. What values do you expect them to exhibit? How will you encourage them to exhibit those values? Also, how is the organization changing (personnel/reporting structure)? How will the re-org affect employees, your branding, and how can you pro-actively communicate to them?

    Market research - Who are the existing customers of both companies, where do they overlap? Who are the new customers, and how do you market to them? What are the obstacles with the new market?

    Marketing plan

    Communications tactics - How will you transition the two brands into 1? Will this happen over a period of time, are are you doing a big annoucement, and switching over immediately? How will all your communications transition (website, brochures, etc.)

    By the way, congrats on thinking about marketing before the merger. Many companies do an acquisition, and think about marketing later! :-/
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