Who Brands Blog

Antitrust regulators have blocked billion-dollar deals, forced brand divestitures, and restructured entire industries. Here is how competition law shapes which brands end up in whose hands.

Instagram kept its name. Motorola lost its name under Google but regained it under Lenovo. The decision to retain or retire a brand name after acquisition is one of the most consequential in corporate strategy.

When Microsoft paid $8.5 billion for LinkedIn and Meta paid $1 billion for Instagram, they were buying brand equity. Here is what brand equity actually means and why corporations pay extraordinary sums to acquire it.

Private equity firms buy brands, restructure them, and sell for multiples of the original price. Here is exactly how the playbook works, with real examples from Reebok to Bumble Bee Foods.

The phrase 'wholly owned subsidiary' appears constantly in business news but is rarely explained. Here's what it means legally, financially, and practically for the brands you buy.

After an acquisition, some brands keep their name. Others change entirely. Here's why companies rebrand following ownership changes, what triggers the decision, and what famous rebrands reveal about corporate strategy.

When a company licenses a brand name, it doesn't own it. Here's how brand licensing works, why it matters for consumers, and which famous brands are licensed rather than owned by the companies that sell them.

Holding companies control massive brand portfolios without making a single product. Here's how they work, how they differ from operating companies, and which holding companies own the brands you use every day.

That 'small batch' coffee or 'indie' beauty brand might be owned by a multinational. Here are the practical methods anyone can use to find out who actually owns a brand.

When a company acquires a brand, thousands of employees face uncertainty. Here's what typically happens to staff during M&A integration, why layoffs happen, and which roles are most at risk.

Acquirers spend billions buying brands, then discontinue them. Here's why brand elimination happens, which strategic logic drives it, and what well-known examples reveal about how companies manage their portfolios.

From initial offer to closing day, here is the complete step-by-step process of how one company buys a brand or business, including due diligence, regulatory review, and what happens after the deal closes.