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Brand Valuation: What It Means and Why It Matters
Brand Valuation: What It Means and Why It Matters
Brand valuation:
what it means and
why it matters
cost method and the replacement cost on the quality and security of the brand
method are subjective but we are often asked franchise with both trade customers and end
to value this way because courts may want to consumers.
know what a brand might cost to create. In our experience, it is very important to
It is also possible to consider market value, express the final valuation number in context.
though frequently there is no market value for This means explaining exactly what has been
intangibles, particularly trademarks and valued, using what method, and what the key
brands. Generally speaking, therefore, the insights are as to the influence of the brand
most productive approach to brand valuation on the key operating variables of the
is to employ an economic use valuation business.
method, of which there are a number. In this context, it is useful to remember that
First there is the price premium or gross value is a function of three primary variables –
margin approach that considers price profitability, growth and risk. Investors care
premiums or superior margins versus a about the level of free cash flow generated by
generic business as the metric for quantifying a company (profitability), the prospects for
the value that the brand contributes. However, increasing those cash flows (growth) and the
the rise of private label means that it is often volatility of these cash flows (risk).
hard to identify a generic against which the Understanding the contribution of brands to
price or margin differential should be shareholder value therefore depends on being
measured. able to express the impact of brands on
Economic substitution analysis is another profitability, growth and risk. The traditional
approach - if we didn’t have that trademark or view of customers as the only relevant
brand what would the financial performance of audience (implicit in the price premium
the branded business be? How would the approach above) fails to recognise the full
volumes, values and costs change? The value-creating power of brands because it
problem with this approach is that it relies on confines the impact of the brand to the price
subjective judgments as to what the premium that the branded product is able to
alternative substitute might be. sustain.
The difficulties associated with these two It is important to understand the impact of
approaches mean that the two most useful a brand on four major audiences in order to
economic use approaches are the earnings quantify the scale of its financial significance.
split and royalty relief approaches. These four audiences are consumers,
Under a royalty relief approach we imagine suppliers, staff and investors/financiers. For
that the business does not own its each of these audiences we analyse both the
trademarks but licenses them from another extent and the nature of the awareness and
business at a market rate. The royalty rate is image profile that the brand enjoys, and
usually expressed as a percentage of sales. capture the impact of these on the behaviour
This is the most frequently used method of of that audience. With consumers, the impact
valuation because it is highly regarded by tax of brand health drives both profitability and
authorities and courts, largely because there growth. With suppliers and staff the impact of
are a lot of comparable licensing agreements brands is evident in lower costs and therefore
in the public domain. It is relatively easy to higher profitability. With investors and
calculate a specific percentage that might be financiers, the benefit of strong brands is
paid to the trademark or brand owner. seen in lower funding costs.
Under an earnings split approach we This broader perspective on the business is
attribute earnings above a break-even of significant value when the client has
economic return to the intangible capital. This responsibility for business and brand
involves four principal steps. The first is an development because it illuminates the
appropriate segmentation of the market to principal value drivers of the business and
ensure that we study the brand within its identifies how brand perceptions and
relevant competitive framework. The second preferences affect consumer purchase
step is to forecast the economic earnings of behaviour and staff and supplier relationships.
the branded business earnings within each of As such, it makes a substantive contribution
the identified segments. These are the excess to understanding the sources and scale of a
earnings attributable to all the intangible company’s competitive position. It quantifies
assets of the business. The third step is to the size of the asset that the brand represents
analyse the business drivers research to and – perhaps more important yet – identifies
determine what proportion of total branded ways in which the value can be enhanced.
business earnings may be attributed
specifically to the brand. The final step is to
determine an appropriate discount rate based
David Haigh
d.haigh@brandfinance.com
Jonathan Knowles
j.knowles@brandfinance.com