Branding agencies measure success in many ways: billings, number of prestigious clients, income. We determine ours by a different metric. We ask: In what measurable ways is our client’s brand more valuable after working with us than before? Before we accept an assignment, we want to be convinced that we can deliver benefits to the client’s brand that are a high multiple of our fee. If we don’t see such upside, we see if we can reframe the assignment to add greater value. That is what we mean when we say “To solve the real problem, ask the hard questions.”
For-profits are scored by profitability, to be sure, but we broaden the definition of ‘profit’ to include the widest possible vision of stakeholder benefits.
There are several ways to get there. In the short term, a strong, consistent brand grows sales and margins. In the medium term, a strong brand lowers the cost of labor (more good people want to work for a brand they admire) and lowers the cost of capital (strong brands are more resilient in turbulent times, so lenders and stakeholders ascribe lower risk.)
In the long term—when the brand is sold, goes public, or recapitalized—strong brands command a high premium because their marketplace recognition makes them more durable performers. Brandbook has an outstanding track record of developing corporate brands that sell for very high multiples of book value.
In the case of not-for-profits, the principles are similar, but the metrics are different. A strong brand there translates into increased donor participation, more durable membership numbers, higher quality volunteer base, more repeat visits, and ultimately in higher standing within the cultural marketplace.
Every organization has unique expertise and experience. We look at how we can turn the special expertise in a client organization into a competitive advantage, a marketing advantage, and certainly improved valuation for the brand owner.
For more detail on how Brandbook’s methods have influenced brand value, please visit the case studies in our blog section.