The document discusses important questions to ask about branding when undergoing a merger, acquisition, or spin-off. While questions about shareholder value, operational synergy, and logistical advantages are important, the document argues that equally important are questions about how the transaction will impact the brand. It provides seven crucial branding questions to consider, such as how the market values the brands, if employees embrace the new vision, and if the new entity's naming and visual identity properly convey its mission. Asking and finding answers to these branding questions as well as the more immediate organizational ones can help unlock business value and ensure a thriving brand and successful company.

1. Are You Asking The
Right Questions
About Your Merger,
Acquisition, or Spin-
Off?
Margaret Molloy
Global CMO
Siegel+Gale

2. Great mergers, acquisitions,
and spin-offs begin with great
questions…
• How will this new entity create shareholder value?
• Will these companies produce operational synergy?
• What are the logistical advantages of this transaction?
• Are these companies culturally compatible?
While these are certainly some important questions to
ask, they are not the only important questions to ask.

3. In our experience, some company
leaders ignore critical questions
about their brand and pay attention
to the more immediate
organizational ones instead.
Although branding questions may
not initially seem urgent, constant
curiosity about brand is a key to
unlocking M&A business value.
To avoid this oversight, here are
seven crucial questions you
should be asking about your
brand’s future.

4. 1. Equity Do you know how
much the market
values your brand
and/or the brand of
acquired brand?

5. 2. Employee
Engagement
Do all your
employees
embrace your
vision and
purpose?

6. 3. Positioning Are you seizing
this opportunity
created by the
change to tell a
fresh story?

7. 4. Naming How effectively do
your firm name and
product naming
architecture express
the mission and scope
of your new entity?

8. 5. Visual
Identity
Does your identity
reflect your new
vision, purpose,
and promise?

9. 6. Customer
Experience
Are your
communications
and interactions
consistent across
all channels?

10. 7. Simplicity
Pay
How are you using this
change opportunity to
provide greater clarity,
transparency, and utility
to customers and all
other constituents.

11. A thriving brand and a successful
company are synonymous. By digging
into the seven questions and dutifully
pursuing answers, both of these goals
can be achieved.
The curiosity and vision that sparked
your merger, acquisition, or spin-off
must be present at every stage of the
diligence and integration process—
including the management of your
brand.
Follow me on Twitter
@MargaretMolloy
Margaret Molloy
Global CMO
Siegel+Gale
A version of this presentation
first appeared on thecmoclub.com

12. www.siegelgale.com
Siegel+Gale is the simplicity company. We are a global
strategic branding, design, and experience firm.