Brand Rewired: Connecting Intellectual Property, Branding, and Creativity Strategy

Chapter 2. Value Is in the Eye of the Beholder

To understand more about the latest trends in innovation, branding, intellectual property strategy, and creativity, and how they intersect in leading global companies, we decided it might be a good idea to start with the end game. After all of the hard work, what is the value proposition? What creates a better return on investment for the company?

The answer was ultimately very simple: Build something that can continue to produce revenue for a long time. The details behind it are a bit more complex.

There are several important trends driving the need for anyone involved in branding to better understand how intellectual assets are valued. With an increasing percentage of a company's market value based upon its brand, strategic thinking about how the brand becomes valuable intellectual property owned by the company and valued in the marketplace must be introduced into the conversation.

	Think of your brand as a "bank account," something that you build up over time by making deposits. It grows and compounds through increased interest, investment, and attention. During lean periods, you may need to make withdrawals and rely on the strength of your brand. If you keep making withdrawals and never add to it, however, then you may find the brand is not as strong as it once was.
	--David Stimson, Chief Trademark Counsel, Kodak, and Former President, International Trademark Association

Driving Trends in Intellectual Asset Valuation—Why It Matters ...