Let’s imagine you’re negotiating the acquisition or merger of a major brand. If you were taking over Coca Cola, you would be buying a lot more than the recipe for a caffeinated cold drink. You would be benefiting from the name, logo and other brand elements that consumers instantly recognize and trust.
Brand value is a fairly modern phenomenon. In the past, consumers relied on product quality and value to make purchasing decisions. The advertising boom of the 1960s turned certain businesses into brand names.
With the emergence of modern marketing, companies could choose to associate themselves with positive characteristics such as style, elegance, trustworthiness, security and innovation. This is essentially building a brand – a key element of any marketing strategy today.
Pretty much everyone agrees a strong brand is valuable – the tricky part is putting a number on that value.