Some valuable lessons to learn?

It was great to read that those brands which have a purpose beyond profit have increased in value by 87% over five years, whereas those that are not ideals-driven have grown only 43%. Brands with ethical, as well as rational and emotional values, are winning customer hearts and minds. Also good to see that brands with women on the board do better.

Jane Asscher
Managing partner and chairman 23red

So the nimble and dynamic young brands are climbing the BrandZ Top 100 at warp speed? What about those for whom the party is over?

Kodak is a perfect example of an aged brand that suffered a dramatic fall by simply doing nothing. The name in photography for almost the entire 20th Century was killed by a languid marketing ethos for a decade – and soon it was commonplace to have a Kodak Moment with a Canon.

The good news? Brands can bounce back, although the remedy comes with a health warning: you need a fearless marketing director, a big vision and the guts to change mindset across the business. You’ll need to behave like you’re brand new, while making good use of the wisdom of longevity to guide you along.

Scott Wilkinson
Planning partner, Bordello

I grow increasingly concerned by ‘best brand’ surveys. The latest BrandZ survey says that the brand value of IBM – the brand that your dad would never have been fired for buying – rose by 15%, to nearly $116bn last year.

Yet last week, according to CoreBrand, IBM’s brand plummeted last year 18 places to No. 66.

CoreBrand puts Apple, which tops BrandZ’s ranking, at No. 33, just behind Sony and just ahead of Lowe’s. Confused? You will be.

Interbrand placed IBM No. 2 in its brand-valuation ranking released last October, up 8% and valuing the IT corporation at $70bn.

Interbrand had Coca-Cola at No. 1; CoreBrand agreed; and BrandZ pegs it at only No. 5, albeit still worth $1.3bn, more than Interbrand gives it credit for.

Need a headache pill yet?

Jonathan Gabay
Author of The Brand Messiah

The fact that brand contribution, not financial performance, shored up the world’s most valuable brands last year is significant. A strong brand is vital to stand out in this information-heavy world.

Those businesses sustaining and increasing their brand value in a down market, are the ones innovating and investing in brands.

From our work, we have seen just how vital online advertising now is to brand building. Evidence shows that the ubiquity of consumer data and growth in contact points means it can target and influence brand metrics. We’re seeing brands drive significant uplift in brand consideration using real-time brand optimisation techniques online. This trend can only continue as online and mobile offer more rich media and chances for engagement.

Dominic Trigg
Managing director, Rocket Fuel