Rebranding mergers: how attitudes influence consumer choices?

In the context of a merger or an acquisition, the management of corporate identity – in particular of corporate brand names and logos – assumes a critical role. The purpose of this article is to provide a better understanding of the corporate brand redeployment decision, considering the reactions of...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Machado, Joana César (author)
Other Authors: Lencastre, Paulo de (author), Carvalho, Leonor Vacas de (author), Costa, Patrício (author)
Format: article
Language:eng
Published: 2016
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10400.14/20307
Country:Portugal
Oai:oai:repositorio.ucp.pt:10400.14/20307
Description
Summary:In the context of a merger or an acquisition, the management of corporate identity – in particular of corporate brand names and logos – assumes a critical role. The purpose of this article is to provide a better understanding of the corporate brand redeployment decision, considering the reactions of one important stakeholder group – consumers. This study develops a typology of the various corporate identity structures that could be assumed in the context of a brand merger, and analyses how consumers ’ attitudes towards the corporate brands infl uences their preferences regarding the different branding strategies. Results suggest that the preference for a monolithic redeployment strategy, suggested in previous studies, is only clearly supported when one of the partners in the merger is a weak partner. When the merger involves two familiar brands, there is a tendency among consumers to combine elements of both brands ’ identity. Finally, it is concluded that the affective and behavioural dimension of attitude towards the brand has a signifi cant infl uence on consumers ’ preferences.