Local Brands Acquired by Global Corporations – Impacts on Marketing Strategy

The thesis is focused on exploring the phenomenon of local brands being acquired by global corporations and it also evaluates the impacts of such acquisitions on the strategy of purchased brands. The author poses the following research questions: what is the purpose and structure of a brand acquisition process? How does the positioning of the acquired brand change? Which changes occur in the marketing budget and the structure of the marketing team? How do such deals influence the economy and its players? The thesis is divided into three main parts. The first chapter describes the brand acquisition process and gives the required definitions. The second one examines several important aspects in which the said process influences the strategy of the acquired brand. The third chapter is a case study which gives a detailed insider's view of the recent acquisition wave in the Russian juice market. This part of the thesis is based on an in-depth interview conducted by the author with the brand manager of one of the acquired brands.