Boston Scientific Phasing Out Guidant Brand
In the wake of its aquisition of troubled defibrillator maker Guidant, Boston Scientific has decided to gradually replace the acquired brand with its own. The campaign begins at Heart Rhythm 2006 in Boston where Guidant had initially booked a bigger booth than the company which acquired it in the meantime. Guidant’s logo will be much less prominent than in past years to yield the higher ground to Boston Scientific. In future conferences and marketing materials the Guidant brand will eventually disappear altogether. Beyond branding problems specific to Guidant, it has been Boston Scientific’s policy in recent years to rebrand acquisitions as its image was starting to blur in the mind of doctors after strong external growth. Similar brand consolidation processes are often adopted by conglomerates when they realize performance across more and more brands within their portfolio becomes patchy and harder to manage. The Boston Globe reports.
May 19, 2006 Related topics: Mergers & Acquisitions, Cardiology