Acquire competitor with 15-year brand equity. Rebrand immediately = lose recognition. Keep separate = fragmented identity. Transition period = critical. "Instagram by Facebook" worked, "Google+" didn't.
The Equity Question
Target brand worth $10M. Your brand worth $100M. Kill target brand? Waste $10M equity. Keep separate? Confuse customers. Gradual integration: "TargetBrand, a YourBrand Company" = bridge strategy.
The Product Line Decision
Acquired brand sells different category. Keep separate (Unilever owns Dove + Axe, different identities). Sell same category? Unify (Facebook absorbed Instagram branding gradually).
The Integration Timeline
Year 1: "Acquired by YourBrand" messaging. Year 2: "YourBrand TargetName" co-branding. Year 3+: "YourBrand" alone, legacy name phased out. Slow erosion prevents customer loss.
Geographic Considerations
Target brand strong in Germany, unknown in US. Your brand opposite. Keep both, optimize per market. VW owns Audi (premium) + VW (mainstream) = strategic separation.
Domain Consolidation
Acquire company = inherit domains. Targetbrand.com, targetbrand.de, old-targetname.com (previous rebrand). Redirect all to master domain or maintain separate? Depends on SEO equity vs brand clarity.
Trademark Portfolio Cleanup
Acquired company owns 47 trademarks (many unused). Renewal costs €850 each. Total: €40K/decade. Audit, keep revenue-generating marks, abandon legacy. Trim fat immediately.
The Fresh Start Option
Both brands tainted by scandals/failures. Merger = opportunity to rebrand entirely. Meta (Facebook rebrand) = escape negative associations. Fresh name, fresh identity, fresh start.
Trademark Lens checks individual brand availability but can't assess M&A brand strategy - integration planning requires business context beyond trademark search.