Leading brand valuation and strategy consultancy, Brand Finance, is pleased to announce the appointment of three new directors; Anne Bahr Thompson, Brian Buss and Doug Bania.
Commenting on the new appointments, Brand Finance CEO David Haigh stated, “I am delighted to welcome Anne, Brian and Doug to the Brand Finance team. Between them, they bring an exceptional array of expertise in strategy, valuation, branding, tax and litigation, strengthening Brand Finance’s capabilities both in the US and around the world.”
For expert commentary on any brand-related story, please do not hesitate to get in touch with Anne, Doug, Brian, or our central communications team in London. Our latest research and information on the implications of brand value for consumers, investors, accountants, lawyers and marketers, can be found at www.brandfinance.com.
Biographies
Anne Bahr Thompson, Managing Director – Strategy (New York)
Anne has more than 25 years’ experience as a global brand strategist, accomplished researcher, writer and speaker. Anne was formerly executive director of strategy and planning and the head of consulting at Interbrand. Prior to this, Anne spent several years in the banking sector in strategic planning and research and began her career at Grey Advertising.
Anne brings the knowledge and understanding that only comes from interacting with a lengthy list of the world’s most prestigious brands including: Aegon, Adidas, American Cancer Society, Citibank, Course Horse, Emerson, Hard Rock Cafe, IBM, ING, JPMorgan Chase, Kingfisher, Merck Medco, Microsoft, Pearson, Pepsi, Prudential, Quaker Oats, Roche, Save the Children, Scandinavian Airlines, STA Travel, Stolichnaya, Symantec, Thomson Reuters, Tri-Star Entertainment, UNICEF and the Waitrose/John Lewis Partnership.
Anne holds an MBA from the Darden Graduate School at the University of Virginia and has been an adjunct professor at New York University Stern School of Business’s London campus. Her writings have appeared in Brands and Branding (Economist Books), hbr.com, Brand Quarterly, Journal of Brand Strategy, Bloomberg News, The Guardian, PR News, and many other industry publications. Anne is the author of ‘Do Good: Embracing Brand Citizenship to Fuel Both Purpose and Profit’, which will be published in Fall 2017.
Doug Bania, Managing Director – Valuation (San Diego)
Doug has more than fifteen years’ experience as an intellectual property and brand licensing strategist and IP valuation professional. Doug is an accomplished writer, speaker, and is part of the International Trademark Association’s (INTA) Internet Committee, the ICANN Compliance and Domain Name Industry Subcommittee and is a Certified Licensing Professional (CLP).
Doug is a branding, licensing and IP damages expert and has been a named in approximately 50 cases, has been deposed ten times and has provided trial testimony five times. Doug has managed hundreds of projects related to brands, intellectual property and the related intangible assets. He has assisted clients in intellectual property matters related to acquisitions, litigation, bankruptcy, tax, estate and licensing.
Doug holds an MA in Television Film and New Media with an emphasis on marketing from San Diego State University and a BA in Cinema from San Francisco State University. His writings have appeared in peer-reviewed journals such as the Journal of Intellectual Property Law and other publications such as The World Trademark Review and a book chapter in Calculating Economic Damages in Intellectual Property Infringement Cases published by Business Valuation Resources (BVR).
Brian Buss, Managing Director – Valuation (San Diego)
Brian is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with over 20 years of experience in valuations, financial analysis and corporate finance both in the US and overseas.
Brian provides strategic advice regarding intellectual property portfolios and transactions, guidance in determining economic damages and profit apportionment in civil litigation, and performs valuations of trademarks, patents, copyrights, brand assets, trade secrets, technology assets, celebrity endorsements, and other intangible assets. Brian will draw on his extensive experience adding to Brand Finance’s core valuation services, providing clients with strategic advice regarding their IP portfolios and transactions, measuring the impact of IP strategies, building licensing opportunities, and optimizing product pricing.
Prior work experience includes tech & brand consultancies, Westpac Institutional Bank, and Deloitte & Touche’s Financial Advisory Services group in New Zealand and San Francisco. Brian graduated from Claremont McKenna College and holds an MBA from San Diego State University.
ENDS
About Brand Finance
Brand Finance, headquartered in London, is the world’s leading brand valuation and strategy consultancy, with offices in over 25 countries. It provides clarity to marketers, boards and investors by quantifying the financial value of intellectual property. Using this information, Brand Finance draws on expertise in strategy, branding, finance, tax, law, market research and visual identity to leverage IP for maximum financial returns.
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Brand Finance is the world’s leading brand valuation consultancy. Bridging the gap between marketing and finance for more than 25 years, Brand Finance evaluates the strength of brands and quantifies their financial value to help organizations of all kinds make strategic decisions.
Headquartered in London, Brand Finance has offices in over 20 countries, offering services on all continents. Every year, Brand Finance conducts more than 5,000 brand valuations, supported by original market research, and publishes over 100 reports which rank brands across all sectors and countries.
Brand Finance also operates the Global Brand Equity Monitor, conducting original market research annually on over 5,000 brands, surveying more than 150,000 respondents across 38 countries and 31 industry sectors. Combining perceptual data from the Global Brand Equity Monitor with data from its valuation database enables Brand Finance to arm brand leaders with the data and analytics they need to enhance brand and business value.
Brand Finance is a regulated accountancy firm, leading the standardization of the brand valuation industry. Brand Finance was the first to be certified by independent auditors as compliant with both ISO 10668 and ISO 20671 and has received the official endorsement of the Marketing Accountability Standards Board (MASB) in the United States.
Brand is defined as a marketing-related intangible asset including, but not limited to, names, terms, signs, symbols, logos, and designs, intended to identify goods, services, or entities, creating distinctive images and associations in the minds of stakeholders, thereby generating economic benefits.
Brand strength is the efficacy of a brand’s performance on intangible measures relative to its competitors. Brand Finance evaluates brand strength in a process compliant with ISO 20671, looking at Marketing Investment, Stakeholder Equity, and the impact of those on Business Performance. The data used is derived from Brand Finance’s proprietary market research programme and from publicly available sources.
Each brand is assigned a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score out of 100, which feeds into the brand value calculation. Based on the score, each brand is assigned a corresponding Brand Rating up to AAA+ in a format similar to a credit rating.
Brand Finance calculates the values of brands in its rankings using the Royalty Relief approach – a brand valuation method compliant with the industry standards set in ISO 10668. It involves estimating the likely future revenues that are attributable to a brand by calculating a royalty rate that would be charged for its use, to arrive at a ‘brand value’ understood as a net economic benefit that a brand owner would achieve by licensing the brand in the open market.
The steps in this process are as follows:
1 Calculate brand strength using a balanced scorecard of metrics assessing Marketing Investment, Stakeholder Equity, and Business Performance. Brand strength is expressed as a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score on a scale of 0 to 100.
2 Determine royalty range for each industry, reflecting the importance of brand to purchasing decisions. In luxury, the maximum percentage is high, while in extractive industry, where goods are often commoditised, it is lower. This is done by reviewing comparable licensing agreements sourced from Brand Finance’s extensive database.
3 Calculate royalty rate. The BSI score is applied to the royalty range to arrive at a royalty rate. For example, if the royalty range in a sector is 0-5% and a brand has a BSI score of 80 out of 100, then an appropriate royalty rate for the use of this brand in the given sector will be 4%.
4 Determine brand-specific revenues by estimating a proportion of parent company revenues attributable to a brand.
5 Determine forecast revenues using a function of historic revenues, equity analyst forecasts, and economic growth rates.
6 Apply the royalty rate to the forecast revenues to derive brand revenues.
7 Discount post-tax brand revenues to a net present value which equals the brand value.
Brand Finance has produced this study with an independent and unbiased analysis. The values derived and opinions presented in this study are based on publicly available information and certain assumptions that Brand Finance used where such data was deficient or unclear. Brand Finance accepts no responsibility and will not be liable in the event that the publicly available information relied upon is subsequently found to be inaccurate. The opinions and financial analysis expressed in the study are not to be construed as providing investment or business advice. Brand Finance does not intend the study to be relied upon for any reason and excludes all liability to any body, government, or organisation.
The data presented in this study form part of Brand Finance's proprietary database, are provided for the benefit of the media, and are not to be used in part or in full for any commercial or technical purpose without written permission from Brand Finance.
