Client description: A direct response B2B web/catalogue firm

Practice area: Strategic Positioning and Planning; Market Research and Analysis

Geographic scope: US

Industries involved: Pharmaceutical, manufacturing, healthcare, transportation

Services applied: Brand strategy, brand architecture, brand equity and identity, strategic positioning, customer satisfaction, competitive intelligence, M&A integration.

Business challenge: Branded direct response catalogue company purchased another catalogue company and needed to assess brand equity of both companies and determine whether to keep brands separate or collapse into one.

Methodologies: Market due diligence based on qualitative interviews with customers of each firm, non-customers, overlapping customers, and prospective customers along with suppliers and stakeholders. Online quantitative research with the same customer group. Full analysis included sophisticated analytics to measure brand performances against competitors and to compare customer’s “stated” preferences verses their behavior “derived” preferences.

The result: The recommendation was to keep the brands separate and distinct. Based on Geo Strategy Partners’ analysis and recommendations, the client was able to strengthen both brands and their overall business model. Our market due diligence analysis also demonstrated to the client that the acquisition had less value in the market than they had believed prior to acquisition prompting the client to institute a policy of performing future market due diligence in advance of any acquisitions.