The Breakfast Club, Brand Integration, and a Better Way to Do M&A

“You see us as you want to see us…”

The Breakfast Club wasn’t talking about M&A. But it might as well have been.
That line—and the movie’s entire arc—came rushing back during a recent conversation with Ivan Fernandes, an M&A advisor who has seen behind the curtain of dozens of deals. We were talking about why 70% of M&A fails to deliver on its promise. Everyone's focused on the transaction. Few are focused on the transformation.

It reminded me of that Saturday detention. A room full of people with wildly different backstories, expectations, and identities—brought together by circumstance. And by the end? They find common ground. Not because they’re told to. Because they take the time to listen, adapt, and connect. And once they do, they realize they’re stronger together—more than the sum of their parts. That transformation doesn’t come from structure alone—it comes from empathy.

Culture in M&A works the same way. But too often, it’s treated like an afterthought. Culture is reduced to a checkbox. Brand becomes a logo swap. Integration gets mistaken for a comms plan.

But in reality? Culture is integration. Brand is how employees talk, behave, and show up post-deal. And implementation is the bridge between intention and experience. The risk isn’t just employee churn. It’s operational drag, value dilution, and stakeholder confusion.

As a consultant who supports TenTen Group—a brand implementation firm that helps companies bring culture to life through execution—I see firsthand how the right plan can reduce chaos and protect deal value. TenTen doesn’t just plan brand implementation. They operationalize culture through:
• MVP launch planning that prioritizes people and pacing
• Governance frameworks that drive consistency across legacy orgs
• Enablement tools that make the new brand live and breathe

Deals are built on promise. But they’re delivered through execution—and execution depends on people believing in what comes next.

It may not end in a handwritten essay to the principal, but it starts with a plan. And if you get the people part right, you might just end up with more than a diamond stud—a deal that actually delivers.