Abstract/Summary

Purpose: This paper focuses on emerging market firms that internationalize into advanced economies by means of acquisitions. This paper aims to describe and discuss brand management in post-acquisition integration from a multi-level perspective and identify how brand management strategy can be constructed. The paper takes into account the influences of country image, corporate brand and brand portfolio to obtain a granular view in managing brand after such acquisitions. Design/Methodology/Approach: A multiple case study approach is adopted. By using case studies and storytelling qualitative research methods, our empirical setting consists of Chinese firms’ acquisitions in Germany. Findings: We identified three mechanisms for brand management in post-acquisition integration of emerging market firms, namely transferring, dynamically redeploying and categorizing that underpin the interconnection and combined influence of country image on the national level, corporate brand on the organizational level and brand portfolio on the product level. Practical implications: Brand has been viewed as a strategic asset in Chinese cross-border acquisitions. Brand management is a dynamic process that involves learning and interaction between the acquirer and target. Our research offers a practical guideline for both acquirers and targets in managing brand amid emerging market firms’ acquisition in advanced economies. Originality/Value: Our findings shed important light on brand management strategy in Chinese overseas acquisitions in particular, and emerging market firms venturing into advanced economies in general. The interlinking of country, company and product levels presents new ideas to brand literature, and the setting with Chinese firms acquiring German companies constitutes an important contribution to understand how firms from emerging economies may pursue branding strategies different to present knowledge from advanced economy firms.