Acquisitions

When Honeywell acquires a company, business unit, brand, product line or other entity, it is important that a Brand Management and Identity System strategy be developed as an integral part of the acquisition and integration plan. Under the leadership of the acquiring unit’s Communications staff, a Brand and Identity Transition plan must be developed and in place at the time of the acquisition. One goal of this plan is to allow Honeywell to capitalize on the acquisition’s name recognition and brand equity during a short period of transition to the appropriate Honeywell Brand Management and Visual Identity System (i.e., Master Brand, Standalone Brand or Endorsed Brand). As outlined in these guidelines, Honeywell has embraced a modified master brand strategy, in which the majority of the company’s business units, products and services are branded "Honeywell." In almost all cases, acquisitions will be integrated into the Honeywell Master Brand to capitalize on the name recognition and reputation inherent in the Honeywell brand. Within its master brand architecture, Honeywell supports a variety of sub-brands, product brands and service brands that are well-known identifiers in their respective markets. In all cases, these brands are secondary to the Honeywell Master Brand. If there is a clear business case and if valid supporting market data is available, the decision may be made at the Strategic Business Group (SBG) level to maintain and support an acquired brand as an approved Honeywell sub-brand, product brand or service brand. As part of the company’s modified master brand strategy, the Honeywell Brand Management and Visual Identity System also accommodates a select number of Standalone Brands and Endorsed Brands. If a compelling business case can be made, an acquired brand may be considered for Standalone Brand or Endorsed Brand status. In all cases, applications for new Honeywell Standalone Brands and Endorsed Brands must be reviewed and approved by SBG Marketing leadership and the SBG president. Applications that have been approved at the SBG level will be considered for approval by the Corporate Communications Council (Brand Council) and Corporate Legal. General Transition Guidelines Following are general guidelines for transitioning acquired companies, business units, brands, product lines or other entities to the Honeywell Brand Management and Visual Identity System. A specific plan and timeline should be developed by the acquiring Honeywell business unit Communications staff, in line with these guidelines. Immediately upon completion of an acquisition: All newly produced employee communications materials should adhere to the Honeywell guidelines; All external and internal correspondence should be produced on Honeywell stationery and in adherence to these standards; All newly produced PowerPoint presentations should be developed using the approved Honeywell template; News releases should be produced on approved Honeywell letterhead; Temporary Honeywell signage should be put in place at primary site identification points; Telephone answering and voicemail guidelines should be established and distributed; All newly produced marketing materials (e.g., brochures, ads, trade show displays, etc.) should adhere to the appropriate Honeywell guidelines; Appropriate announcements should be posted on external websites; Honeywell stickers may be designed and applied to existing marketing materials (e.g., brochures, direct mail pieces, etc.) for a period of up to 90 days, in order to make use of existing stocks. Within 30 days of the completion of an acquisition: All executives and customer-contact employees should have Honeywell business cards; All recruiting, public affairs and other external-facing materials should be produced in approved Honeywell formats; All external websites should post a temporary notification to advise the public of the transition; All former company materials should be removed from public places (e.g., lobbies, bulletin boards, etc.). Within 60-90 days of the completion of an acquisition: All employees needing business cards should have Honeywell business cards; Permanent facility signage should be installed; All company vehicles should adhere to Honeywell standards; All former-company marketing and other external-facing materials should be replaced with materials produced to Honeywell standards; former materials should be destroyed; All stationery items (letterhead, envelopes, forms, etc.) should be replaced with materials produced to Honeywell standards; former materials should be destroyed; All former-company internal communications materials should be replaced with materials produced to Honeywell standards; former materials should be destroyed; All external and internal websites should be formatted to Honeywell standards; All trade show exhibits should be designed to Honeywell standards. Within six months to one year of the completion of an acquisition: Transition to Honeywell Brand Management and Visual Identity System should be complete.