Have you ever built a house? If so, then you know that the kitchen has the most decisions per square foot of any room in the house.

So. Many. Decisions.

Acquisition integrations for CMOs are a lot like building the kitchen in your new house.

Marketing is very much like a kitchen. It’s the heart of an organization through the development and nurturing of the company’s brand. It’s where new business is cooked up through demand generation. It’s where customers receive updates and provide feedback to restock the kitchen. It’s where partners come to snack on new ideas and bring food to the party. The marketing kitchen you create through an acquisition integration will need to serve new and expanded purposes.

Having done hundreds of acquisition integrations, I can tell you that they are all different. Just like every kitchen is a bit different in layout and how it is used. And yet, I’ve found 10 consistent steps CMOs should take to ensure success. The details within each of these steps will vary by acquisition, but the principles remain the same. Let’s discuss each of them. Do note many of these steps will run in parallel even though I’ve listed them numerically.

Step 1: Immerse in the Strategy

Understand the full strategic intent of the acquisition and the milestones that will indicate the strategic intent is being met. Make sure you are fully aligned with the CEO and CFO’s views. If possible, review the messages and information presented to the board and/or investors as part of the deal. Most acquisitions are multi-faceted so the nuances can be important. Ask your CEO what they believe is most important about the deal? From the CEO’s point of view, what would they like to be true in 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year to indicate success?

Step 2: Understand the Financial Projections

Spend time with the CFO to understand the financial projections for the combined company in total and by the operating breakdown (product/service, geography, industry, etc.) so you can tailor your demand generation and customer marketing plans accordingly. I recommend doing this in a meeting and not via email. CFOs are understandably cautious about what they put in writing in case information leaks or could be construed as forward-looking statements. Ask your CFO what they see as the largest risks in the acquisition being successful? Also ask about any feedback the CFO received from the board, investors, and analysts so you can get ahead of any messaging shifts you need to think through as well as what will be top of mind to these audiences for integration updates.

Step 3: Craft Key Messages

Craft key messages about the acquisition and go-forward strategy for customers, employees, investors, and the media. Ensure these messages are aligned across the executive team. Have a run-of-show plan for announcement day and for the first 30 days following the announcement. Everyone will be extremely busy so having this run-of-show done, aligned, and communicated internally gives people a roadmap to follow. Remember, the value creation clock starts ticking the moment the deal is signed so you have no time to lose.

Step 4: Conduct a Brand Audit

Inventory, audit, and conduct a SWOT analysis of the branding of the company being acquired and the associated products or services to inform your go-forward brand strategy. Map your findings to your company’s brand metrics to see where you can gain more traction. You may be able to do this during the due diligence process and if possible, that is ideal. This analysis, along with your deep understanding of the strategic intent from Step 1 and financial projections from Step 2, will give you the foundation for your go-forward brand strategy.

Step 5: Know the Product or Service Roadmap

Understand the product/service offering strategy throughout the integration period and longer term so you can refine your campaign plans and adjust messaging as needed. Compare what you learn about the roadmap with what you understood from steps 1 and 2 then clarify any questions you have. For example, do the financial projections assume sales of technically integrated products in 2 quarters but the product roadmap says they won’t be ready for 3 quarters? Plans and forecasts do change as integration work is done so you want to stay on top of the shifts and adjust as needed. Together, this information will help you build the brand strategy and hierarchy in detail.

Step 6: Answer the Question - To Rebrand or Not to Rebrand

Determine if a full rebrand of the combined company is warranted. If not, choose the lead corporate brand and define the brand hierarchy for products and services. Be clear on the timing for any changes. A full rebrand resulting from an acquisition is not usually needed as the acquired company tends to be smaller. However, sometimes the smaller company brand is more well-known and becomes the lead brand for the combined company. For a full merger of two similarly sized companies you’ll need to either pick one brand or set a new tone to the market with a full rebrand. If the acquired company was distressed, then you may want to shift away from that brand quickly to leave any bad news legacy behind. These decisions need to be led by the CMO and be very well vetted across the executive team. Then you can update your brand guidelines to be inclusive of the acquired company. Conduct training or briefings on the updated guidelines with employees and agencies. If you plan to rebrand, still do this step for the interim period, and inform people the guidelines will be updated as part of the rebrand work.

Step 7: Sort Out Agencies and Vendors

Identify any agency and vendor contracts the company being acquired has that you may need to continue, consolidate, or cancel. Create your decision framework to combine these going forward. Think carefully through your plans and where you may be able to save time or cost. Enlist the help of your legal team to find out-clauses, risks, work-in-progress, etc. that you will need to understand.

Step 8: Work Through the IT Integration

Understand the IT plan and have a point of view on the mar-tech integration. Work closely with IT to ensure data and content migrations run smoothly and your most important needs are addressed as a priority. Make sure that as the CMO, you are fully aware of all technology decisions and understand the implications to your plan and your team. CRM integrations are key as are any personalization and automation platforms. Issues with execution on the IT plan can bring your marketing to a halt or create mistakes you would prefer to avoid.

Step 9: Energize the Team

Align with HR on talent retention and layoff decisions. Read through the backgrounds and performance reviews of new team members. Spend time with as many as possible so they get to know your priorities and leadership style. Formally welcome new team members to your organization and consider buddying them up with an existing team member to learn the culture. Be clear about your plans and update the team as things shift. Transparency grounded in data and facts will keep rumors and fears to a minimum.

Step 10: Keep Moving!

Momentum is your friend, and it will need to pick up pace after the deal closes. You’re still responsible for demand generation and conversion through the funnel while you execute the full integration. This is why understanding the financial projections is key. Do you have enough activity in market to meet the projections? Where are you light or over invested? Stay closely aligned with the head of sales so you get the real time feedback of what is and isn’t working regarding messaging and branding changes. Things will come up both good and less so. Not everything will go smoothly despite your best laid plans and some things will be a brilliant success. Stay calm. Stay focused. Communicate clearly and frequently with facts. And most importantly, keep moving forward.

While each acquisition integration is different, having a common set of steps for focus can be very helpful. These steps will help you work through the details and keep your team on track. Staying flexible as things change is important. Also, make sure to take good care of yourself and encourage your team to do the same. Integrations are a lot of work and typically it is work on top of already full plates. Watch your health and take care of yourself so you can enjoy your spectacular success.

You can learn more about our proven integration framework and book an introduction call.

— Katrina Klier