A Study on the New Branding and Customer Integration of the M&A Process : Focused on the Brand Name and Membership System of Two Companies

인수합병 과정의 브랜드 및 고객 통합에 관한 연구 : 백화점의 브랜드 네임 및 회원 통합을 중심으로

Many studies have focused on the importance of organizational integration when companies try to achieve growth through mergers and acquisitions (M&A). However, there has been little research that focuses on the new branding or customer base integration of the M&A process, despite the fact that this integration is very important for achieving M&A goals and business performance in industries such as retail. The purpose of this study is to provide an M&A case study of the retail industry, focused especially on the new branding and customer integration of two department stores. This study examined key integration processes in terms of brand name and membership systems of both companies by examining how the merged company achieved its new branding and the integration of its membership systems. The methodology of this research is the case study, which is used in both normative and empirical studies for distribution research in Korea. This research analyzes the case of both new branding and customer membership systems of the two companies. The new branding initiatives of this case centered on decision making including brand extension and brand naming. The customer membership integration of the two companies is analyzed on the basis of the customer reward programs that include both financial and service rewards. This study shows the success factors of new branding and customer integration in the M&A process in terms of achieving marketing goals and business performance as follows: First, companies should identify the integration areas by analyzing the brand and membership of both companies and make a balanced decision for both the customer and company. Second, the goals of new branding and membership integration in the M&A process should not emphasize business efficiency from a short-term perspective but rather should consider brand power and business synergy from a long-term perspective. Third, the post-merger integration process of the brand or customer areas requires not only the organized execution of integration tasks but also follow-up programs for changes in business strategy and marketing-related programs to realize the synergy effects of integrated organization. Although this study provides a detailed review and analysis of the new branding and customer integration processes in post-merger integration and in identifying the primary decision-making areas of these processes, there are some limitations requiring further research that may overcome or compensate for these limitations. The suggested future research areas are as follows: First, since this research is a case study of only one M&A, it makes few theoretical contributions such as new propositions or theories or possibilities for generalization. This limitation can be overcome through further research using multiple cases, which may lead to new propositions. Second, the methodology of this study lacks sufficient rigor in terms of its analytic approach because this case study was developed and analyzed descriptively. Further research is needed to compensate for these limitations, such as using a theory-based approach or comparative analysis approach that makes case analysis more systematic.

M&A 과정, 특히 인수 후 통합에 관한 기존의 연구는 내부 조직의 통합에 중점을 두어 왔는데, 본 연구는 백화점 간의 인수합병 과정에서 브랜드 네임 및 회원 제도의 통합 사례에 대한 분석을 통해 양사의 브랜드와 고객의 통합 과정이 어떻게 이루어지며, 그 과정에서 무엇이 중요한지를 보고자 하였다. 본 연구는 유통학문의 연구방법론 중 규범적 연구방법론이나 경험적 분석기법에 적용되는 사례연구의 접근법을 적용하여, 인수합병을 통해 두 회사의 브랜드 네임과 회원 제도를 통합한 기업을 선정하여 분석하였다. 연구 결과, 인수합병 과정의 브랜드와 고객 측면의 통합을 위해서는 양사의 브랜드 및 고객 관리 현황에 대한 이해를 바탕으로 주요 통합 영역을 설정하여 고객과 기업의 양쪽 측면에서 의사결정을 고려해야 한다는 것, 통합의 목표를 단기적인 사업 효율성 추구가 아니라 장기적인 브랜드 파워와 구체적인 시너지 등으로 추구해야 한다는 것, 브랜드의 통합과 회원 제도의 통합은 사업 전략과 마케팅 프로그램 등의 변화를 유발하기 때문에 구체적인 후속 프로그램이 필요하다는 것을 알 수 있었다. 본 연구는 단일 기업을 대상으로 한 서술식 사례 연구라는 한계가 있어, 향후에는 복수 기업들의 비교분석적 연구나 브랜드 및 고객 통합 관련 이론들을 체계적인 분석의 틀로 이용하는 연구 등이 필요할 것이다.