When brands and name disappear...

When brands and names disappear ...
What is in a name? Everything. One would have said so in former times. In the modern era , however, one is tempted to conclude that there is nothing in a name. A few days ago, Bharat Overseas Bank, a very well known local bank in Southern India, especially in Chennai, moved into the pages of history following its takeover by nationalised Indian Overseas Bank (IOB). Overnight, all the customers of Bharat Overseas Bank have become the clients of Indian Overseas Bank. Not that they have found a sudden liking for IOB. They have little choice. Since their bank has been taken over and merged with IOB, they have only an Hobson's Choice. Who said that customer is the king. He does not matter at all more often than not in the present context, it appears.
Years ago, another local bank (in Tamil Nadu)- Bank of Madura - was consinged to history when it was merged with ICICI Bank. It had a totally different client profile - typically dothi-clad guys and least sophisticated in outlook. One is still not quite sure if all the clients of erstwhile Bank of Madura had become the cusomters of ICICI Bank. I had a meeting with the Editorial Director of Harvard Business School Press, Ms Hollis Heimbouch, and Executive Editor of Harvard Business School Publishing, Ms. Kirsten D. Sandberg, this morning. And, the discussion veered round to brands and banks. In an era of M&A (mergers and acquisition, names disapper (as mentioned above) and brands fall by the way side. Brands are important in an intensely competitive environment. Brands also become victims of competitive heat, however. Indeed, we are at an ironical stage. And, the question again is: What's in a name?. There is nothing like a preferred banker. After all, a `preferred banker' or a `branded banker may just go out of the list just by a M&A process!