Sanofi® has a large portfolio of brands around the world built up over the years during multiple projects such as product launches or acquisitions. In 2022, the company decided to adopt a proactive approach to managing its unused brand portfolio and asked TradeYourMark® to assist in this project.
Sanofi®’s Approach
Sanofi® is a leading global pharmaceutical and healthcare company based in France. The company develops and markets medical products, vaccines and consumer health products. Over the years, the company has built up significant portfolios of brands, particularly in Europe and South America. Sanofi® has decided to rationalise these portfolios and sell a part of its unused brands. This allows Sanofi® to monetise intangible assets and reduces the ongoing costs of managing its brand portfolio.
Stages of the Project
First Sanofi®’s legal department Department analysed the trademarks portfolio and selected those which could be sold. TradeYourMark® then assisted Sanofi® in all subsequent stages of the project. We first analysed the portfolio of trademarks and proposed a segmentation. We then worked with Sanofi® to make a valuation of the brands or blocks of brands.
We subsequently defined the marketing approach. We proposed the trademarks to potential buyers in the pharmaceutical and para-pharmaceutical industry in Europe and in selected international markets. We also presented the portfolio of trademarks to specialist partners, such as industrial property lawyers as well as naming and marketing agencies. Several sales have already been concluded, with TradeYourMark® negotiating the terms of the deal in the best interests of Sanofi®. Finally, we formalised for each transaction the Purchase Offer and the Sale and Purchase agreement based on a standard agreement proposed by Sanofi®’s legal department.
An Ongoing Project
To date, sales have mainly concerned French, Swiss or European Union brands. Our project with Sanofi® is ongoing and we currently have several sales discussions underway. The project has fully validated our approach of helping owners of portfolios of unused trademarks to monetise their assets, whilst allowing new players to give the brands a second life.
When a portfolio of dormant brands is put on the market, there not necessarily an immediate rush of buyers, but over time companies appear whose needs are served by the brands available and are interested in acquiring them. Through patience and confidence in the strategic logic of the approach Sanofi® is gradually able to monetise its immaterial brand assets.
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