Interbrand, a division of Omnicom, is a brand consultancy, specializing in areas such as brand strategy, brand analytics, brand valuation, corporate design, digital brand management, packaging design, and naming. Interbrand has 24 offices in 17 countries.
History
Interbrand was founded by John Murphy, a native of Essex in the United Kingdom. His interest in branding design began while working in the corporate planning and marketing department at Dunlop Corporation, a leader in the tire industry.
In 1974, Murphy left Dunlop and along with his wife opened Novamark, a product-naming consultancy. In 1979, Novamark opened an office in New York, under the name Interbrand, reflecting a shift in the company's offerings. No longer focused on naming and registering trademarks alone, the company was now involved in the more encompassing activity of brand strategy and design.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s international offices were opened, including Tokyo and Frankfurt, Milan, Los Angeles, and Melbourne â€" all offering a full range of branding services: brand valuation, new product development, naming, legal searches, and graphic design. From 1987 to 1995, Michael Birkin joined Murphy in leading the company as group chief executive.
In 1993, Interbrand was acquired by the Omnicom Group, and throughout the 1990s and 2000s expanded their service capabilities by acquiring leading branding and identity consultancies in the UK, Asia-Pacific, South America, Germany, and in South Africa.
In 1999, they invented the term Wi-Fi.
Best Global Brands
Interbrand publishes the Best Global Brands report on an annual basis. The report identifies the world’s 100 most valuable brands. Interbrand’s methodology is also the first of its kind to be ISO certified. To develop the report, Interbrand examines three key aspects that contribute to a brand’s value:
- The financial performance of the branded products or service
- The role the brand plays in influencing consumer choice
- The strength the brand has to command a premium price, or secure earnings for the company
Methodology
Interbrand has refined its brand valuation into a five-step Economic Value Added methodology. Through a similar methodology, Interbrand releases an annual ranking of the best global brands, which valuates each brand's financial performance, role, and strength. The annual report, "Best Global Brands," was published in BusinessWeek until 2009; Interbrand assumed sole authorship in 2010. To qualify, brands must have a presence on at least three major continents and must have broad geographic coverage in growing and emerging markets. Thirty percent of revenues must come from outside the home country, and no more than fifty percent of revenues should come from any one continent.
Client roster
Interbrand has created comprehensive branding programs for Wrigley Company, Xerox, Thomson Reuters, Microsoft, Nissan, Telstra, and Samsung.
Awards
Interbrand was awarded a Gold Cannes Lions in 2014 for its work on Mandela Paper Prison. Interbrand won a Bronze Cannes Lion in 2013 for its work on IGLOO, a TV service launched by SKY New Zealand and TVNZ.
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