On January 25th, Pfizer leapfrogged over the tradition of buying smaller research companies to purchase Wyeth for 68 billion dollars. With their forces combined, Pfizer/Wyeth becomes the 4th largest US-based company; Exxon, Walmart, and Proctor & Gamble hold the top three spots. The merger process can be complicated and delicate to finagle on the finance end but the branding or re-branding process should be approached with just as much care.

During a re-branding of this size it is important to approach the naming process with an open mind; having the larger company name always win out over the smaller company name might not always be the best choice for company morale or client impressions. The four naming options, as I see them are:
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I thought I had uncovered the mother of all typos when I was recently perusing the computer section of the Best Buy website and eyed a heading for “Netbooks”. Silly Best Buy web editor, I thought, it’s Notebooks not Netbooks!

Wrong. Netbooks do exist.
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The year 2009 marks the 110th anniversary of The Merck Manual, the best-selling and oldest continuously published general medical text in the English language. And what a 110 years it has been!

It all started in 1899, when the American drug manufacturer Merck & Co. published a small book titled Merck’s Manual of the Materia Medica. According to their website, the book was meant as an aid to physicians and pharmacists, reminding doctors that “Memory is treacherous.”

In 1899 the Manual cost $1, about as much as a week’s groceries. Now the Merck Manuals, divided
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Have you ever set up a brainstorming session for your office and felt like you were at a dead end at the very beginning? This happens to many people but there are effective ways to get you and your colleagues brainstorming like there’s no tomorrow!

It’s best to schedule brainstorming in the morning when everyone is more alert. After lunch is when people begin to get tired and think more about how much longer they have until they can leave. It’s not exactly the best time to focus.

Come to the brainstorming session prepared! Make sure you have all the information at hand in case anyone has any questions or needs more information to come up with ideas.
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