The New Strategic Brand Management, 5th Edition

15

Handling name changes and brand transfers

One of the most spectacular aspects of brand management, but also one of the most risky, is the changing of brand names. Some cases immediately spring to mind: Philips–Whirlpool, Raider–Twix, Andersen–Accenture, Pal–Pedigree, Datsun–Nissan. The industrial world is now used to external growth by company acquisitions and to the creation of large groups such as Novartis, AstraZeneca, Veolia and Schneider by the fusion of identities which were previously separate and independent.

This growth in brand transfers is normal: it is the consequence of capitalization, the key to modern brand management. The reorganization of multi-brand portfolios and the reduction in the number of brands has meant that the ...