Post-Merger Branding: How A Marriage of Equals Becomes More Than The Sum of Its Parts

July 2, 2015

“It’s a marriage made in heaven,” notes Melissa Fors, Executive Director of Marketing Strategy for the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation: “In February 2014, two of the nation’s best-known substance abuse treatment organizations—Hazelden and the Betty Ford Center—said ‘I do’ to a merger. This agreement marked the culmination of more than 30 years of connectedness between the two organizations.”

The merger has led to the creation of the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, “which becomes the largest nonprofit addiction treatment provider in the country,” notes Fors. “With 16 sites in Minnesota, Oregon, California, Florida, Illinois, New York, Massachusetts, Texas, and Colorado, and 1,600 employees across the nation, the organization offers the full continuum of treatment services and recovery management support for adults and youth.”

The merger also, of course, created numerous branding challenges. In a new article, Fors explains in depth how the two entities navigated legal issues, logo priority, internal communications, and the risks involved in moving from well-established websites with strong SEO and brand recognition to a brand-new URL.

For the full story, click here to read our comprehensive article: The Best Marriages Are Built on Commonalities: How Two Organizations Became One—and What You Can Learn From Their Example

Best regards,
Matt Humphrey
President