Hi there, and welcome to part 2 of CODO's Acquired summer series.

Today, we’re diving into what happens after the deal is signed. Specifically: How do you handle the acquired brand? What does this mean for your parent brand? And how do you integrate it all into a coherent Brand Architecture?

Let’s get into it. 

(Above): If you're planning on making any sort of Brand Architecture move — an acquisition, a line or Brand Extension, spinning up a Sub Brand — don't go into that process blind. Read the Beyond Beer Handbook. 

If you'd like to grab a copy (or copies) for your team, use code: Acquired to take $20 off your purchase. 

—
 

To set the scene here, we’ve had a flurry of clients acquire other brands, taprooms and businesses. And we’re seeing a flood of new project inquiries to help breweries manage this as well. 

This is a tough topic to write about because there’s never an off-the-rack solution for these sorts of problems. There are too many moving parts for that to be the case. The right call will always (always) come down to your brewery’s brand and Brand Strategy. 

With that caveat out of the way, let’s talk about some of the 30k foot view problems you may run into when folding (or not folding) an acquisition into your brand.

(Above): Brand Architecture Map we developed with Malibu Brewing to help their team sort out multiple brands, categories and locations as well as a few acquisitions.

—
 

This all starts with your brand & Brand Architecture 

1 

On Your Brand & Brand Strategy 

It’s fun and exciting to focus on this new acquisition, but you first have to take a clinical look inward at your own brand.

Unless you’ve recently rebranded and gone through a formal Brand Strategy process, your parent brand itself might need to be shored up alongside layering in this new acquisition. 

A few things to think about here include: 

– Is your brand on a strong foundation? 

– Are we clear on our positioning and audience?

– Are we meaningfully differentiated? 

– Are our values and voice well defined?

– What makes our brand stand out?

Having a grasp on all of this will shortcut this process because then, you’re just working through framing what this acquisition brings to the table and if these ideas can live credibly alongside your brand. Or, if it needs to be rebranded, repositioned, shuttered entirely, or somewhere in between. 

(Above): Framing your Key Messaging Pillars is an important part of the Brand Strategy process. 

—


2

On Your Brand Architecture

Once you’ve taken a hard look at your own parent brand, the next layer of decision-making comes down to Brand Architecture: How the acquired brand will (or won’t) fit within your broader brand ecosystem.

If you intend to completely absorb the acquired brand — to throw away all of its existing IP, and retool the location / products to live under your parent brand, then this is all straight forward.

But if you plan to do anything beyond that — retaining some of the acquired brand’s existing equity — then this gets more complicated. 

Here are a few questions you’ll need to work through here:

– What visual equity do we keep?

– What should we jettison?

– How can we blend the brands? 

– What does this do to our overall Brand Architecture? 

– How do we message (internally and externally) around this acquisition?

– Do we need to create a corporate brand / holding company? 

– Will these moves reposition our parent brand?

It’s a lot to figure out, and most of the time, on a pretty tight timeline. 

We’ve written more about when (and how aggressively) to rebrand an acquired brewery here: So You Bought a Brewery — To Rebrand, or Not to Rebrand?. It’s worth a read as you start thinking through the architecture questions in this section.

One of the tools we build to help our brewery clients make strategically-sound decisions is a Brand Architecture Map. This is a chart that outlines your various brands, locations, extensions and IP — both existing and upcoming opportunities. 

Your Brand Architecture map is important from a structural standpoint, because you can see where a new acquisition could intuitively live within your broader structure, avoid unnecessary overlap and spot other follow-on opportunities. 

Charting out your brand’s entire footprint like this allows you to make more objective decisions:

So less, “Uhhhh, this acquisition should be a Sub Brand, I think?” And more, “We should position this new acquisition as an Endorsed Brand because it aligns with our existing values and customer base, however, they’ve established a successful taproom and we don’t want to disrupt that channel. This means we’re now operating as a Hybrid Brand at the parent level with a series of Endorsed Brands / taprooms.”

—

A final point here: You may need to conduct a formal Brand Audit on your acquired brand before making these sorts of calls. 

We’re developing a resource to make this work easier for you right now. In the meantime, here’s a chapter on this topic from our Craft Beer, Rebranded book. 

(Above): Here's a step-by-step look at how to map out your brewery's Brand Architecture. 

—
 

3

Rollout strategy: How to introduce the acquisition 

With your initial Brand Architecture decisions in place, it’s time to think about how you’ll communicate this acquisition — both to your internal team and to external audiences. This is where timing, channel, tone and transparency matter.

There are a few ways you can announce this acquisition and make the ensuing changes. 

These are somewhat opposing ideas, but again, there’s no off-the-rack solution for these sorts of problems, so there’s not going to be an easy recommendation I can throw out. Anyway, two paths:

Path 1: The Staggered Rollout 

This option entails a measured, methodical rollout that happens over time. Think phased transition more than clean break. 

This follows our usual recommendation for how a brewery should announce some sort of revamp (a brand or package refresh, a full rebrand, etc.) and works well because you’re slowing down and making well thought out decisions and announcements and prolong your media coverage.  

Click here to read more about our Staggered Rebrand Launch plan.

Path 2: Rip that bandaid off 

“I don’t want to lose regulars.”

“I don’t want to lose current placements and accounts.”

It’s intimidating to potentially walk away from existing accounts and some regulars. And I don’t mean to be blasé with this recommendation. These sorts of considerations do need to factor into your calculus here.

But we’ve seen brewery owners, marketing directors, boards, et al be too hesitant to jettison an acquired brand’s identity and packaging even though that was clearly the correct call given their project context and goals. 

This tracks with CODO’s point of view on Brand Equity itself. 

Namely, what’s the point of keeping visual and Brand Equity if it no longer serves your business goals? Sure, some people may recognize your cans, but does that look and feel align with your long-term vision for this business? 

Our recommendation here: This transition will happen once. It may not be as smooth as you’d like, but the work will continue to turn and we’ll all move on. 

Don’t be afraid to rip the bandaid off and make the right decision for your (quickly growing) business. 

Think long term here. 

(Above): KettleHouse's brand refresh teaser campaign and staggered brand launch back in 2018/19. This was a ~2 month teaser campaign followed by a full spring/summer rollout.

—
 

4

Do you need more data? Do you have some time? Consider a tactical pause.

This is kind of a sub-point to the previous section, and it pairs well with a staggered / phased transition.

Look, we get it. You’ve just acquired another brewery and you’re itching to make your mark. But here’s the thing — sometimes the smartest move is to pump the brakes.

We’ve seen it all: From seamless next-day transitions where the taps keep flowing without missing a beat, to frantic 6-week taproom makeovers that barely leave time to throw on a fresh coat of paint.

People often come to us with their hair on fire, desperate for instant solutions. But — what if you don’t have to decide right this second?

You’ve reviewed the books, worked through the Pro Forma, and done all the due diligence. But there’s a lot (of qualitative stuff) you still don’t know

You don’t know how regulars will react to their beloved watering hole changing hands.

You don’t know if the staff will stick around through the changeover.

Hell, you probably don’t even know exactly who’s bellying up to the bar on a typical Tuesday.

The truth? There’s a lot you don’t know yet.

Unless there’s a ticking time bomb somewhere — some existential threat that has to be resolved immediately ( a wholesaler contract to renew, several truckloads of painted cans to order, a crucial ABP or chain retail reset pitch meeting) — why not take a beat?

How do you use this pause productively?

A tactical pause doesn’t mean you sit around and do nothing. It means using this window to gather the right kind of data so you can make better strategic decisions a few months from now.

Here are a few ways to use this time wisely:

Talk to regulars. Spend time in the taproom. Listen to what people love about the space and the brand. You’ll learn a lot fast.

Conduct a simple brand audit. What parts of this brand have real equity? What do customers care about? What’s just window dressing?

Gauge staff sentiment. Have 1:1 conversations with employees. How are they feeling? Are there culture risks you need to address?

Review product performance in market. What’s actually moving? What beers or products might deserve more love post-integration? (Hopefully you did this as part of your diligence ahead of the acquisition…)

You don’t have to resolve all your Brand Architecture or messaging decisions in the first 6 weeks. In fact, you’ll likely make better calls if you give yourself some time to observe the ecosystem you’ve just inherited.

Pro tip: The more humility and curiosity you bring to this phase, the easier the eventual integration will be.

Grab a pint. Slow down. Make the right calls — not just the fast ones.

(Above): Related read: Is there a *best* time to launch your rebrand?

—
 

5

How do you announce this acquisition (internal vs. external messaging)

The amount of hand-holding you need to do in these situations depends entirely on how much you're planning to shake things up.

Did you just snag a beloved local institution that’s been a cornerstone of the community for decades? 

Or did you acquire one of thirty completely indistinguishable local taprooms where a change, even a dramatic one, might be welcome?

Communication is everything — especially when people are nervous. Let’s break this down into two fronts…

Internally, it's all about transparency. The acquired business’ team is probably freaking out about job security. So lay it all out there: Share your integration timeline and keep the lines of communication wide open. 

Externally, this is an opportunity to explain why this move is so exciting. Tell the community what this acquisition means and why it makes sense right now. And give everyone a preview of what to expect over the coming months.

Key external channels to consider include: 

– taproom signage

– on-premise staff talking points

– your website and owned media (dedicated landing page or banner)

– social media

– email lists

– press releases

– distributor / trade partner messaging

Not every channel needs the same level of detail — match the message to the audience and the level of change you’re introducing.

There’s a lot more that goes into this, but for now, check out our thoughts on announcing a rebrand for some similar best practices.

6 

Intellectual Property Hygiene 

This could have lived under the Brand Strategy and Architecture section from above, but I wanted to pull you on its own here. 

Intellectual Property (IP) continues to be a blind spot in the beer and broader Bev Alc industry. And as your overall portfolio, footprint and business itself expands, you’ll naturally step into new markets, segments and product categories, new partnerships and so on. And all of this will open you up to more risk on the IP front. 

So your actionable takeaway here? Get your IP squared away. (Ignore this at your own peril.)

We’re not attorneys (ooooobviously), so be sure to consult your legal counsel. But here’s a practical starting list we recommend discussing with your attorney as part of your pre- / post-acquisition integration process:

– Federally register any parent brand name and identity components. 

– Federally register all major flagship beer names.

– Federally register all major Sub Brand names.  

– Federally register any major fourth category products (in their corresponding categories). 

– Add an “R Ball” (®) and TM throughout your Modular Brand Identity System (where applicable). 

– Establish a release / licensing agreement for any co-branded release.

Everything beyond this list (and hell, everything on this list), is outside of CODO’s lane.

Again, loop your attorney into this process and make sure you’re protecting yourself as you grow.

(Above): A designer & a laser walk into a brewery… listen to our podcast with CODO's beverage attorney, Matthew McLaughlin. We covered how to protect your important IP now and as your business scales. 

—

 

Wrapping up

Acquiring another brewery isn't for the faint of heart. It's messy, it's complicated, it’ll test your patience and there's a good chance you'll end up with a few bruises along the way. But it's also an opportunity to grow your business and create something remarkable.

Whether you're absorbing a regional legend, forming an exciting rollup or breathing new life into a local taproom, remember that this is just the tip of the iceberg.

In our next issue, we're going to roll up our sleeves and dive headfirst into some of the most common challenges and questions we see crop up during these acquisitions. 

We'll workshop real world scenarios, break down complex problems and give you the tools to navigate your next acquisition with more clarity and confidence. 

We’ll catch back up with you here in a few weeks.