Scenario 3: Acquisition of a combined service & product brand
SCENARIO 3: Acquisition of a combined service & product brand (to be managed by a sub-entity, not standalone)
When acquiring a service & product brand the general rule of integration is as follows:
- Review brand & marketing audit and decision tree to decide ownership, market implications and brand strength
- a) Product part: Keep the original brand name of the product offering and proceed as in
Scenario #2:
• Alter the identity and communication of the brand to fit the existing and current Wilhelmsen profile (keep the logo)
• Endorse the brand “by Wilhelmsen” if brand and marketing audit concludes with a “go ahead” (depending on brand strength, history, reputation and competitive landscape)
b) Service part: Integrate the service part of the brand into the managing Wilhelmsen entity as an additional service offering - Remove the original brand name from the service
- Add the new service to the offering of the managing entity
General integration for the entire acquisition: - Route all previous web- and email addresses to wilhelmsen.com within 6 months of acquisition
- Add the new product brand to the offering of the managing sub-entity
- Integrate employees, processes and marketing as needed
Example: Hydrex - Hydrex this time is a service and product brand fitting nicely into the Ships Services portfolio

*See scenario 6 if brand & marketing audit deemes the acquired brand too strong to integrate.