Valuing fashion brands
By Mark Terry. Top apparel brand in the BrandZ Most Valuable Global Brands 2011 rankings from WPP/Millward Brown? That would be Nike, ahead of H&M, Zara, Ralph Lauren and Esprit.
Nike has been using digital to infuse the brand into people’s lives. The branded True City mobile app provided Nike product details along with travel info which could be updated into a customised travel guide. The Write The Future campaign linked the Nike brand with World Cup footballers and the event’s excitement, spectacle and universal appeal.
“The move back to higher-end apparel helped lift the Ralph Lauren brand value 18%,” says the report. “Ralph Lauren continued to offer its classic look in many sub-brands and a wide range of price points. The company renewed the aspirational nature of the brand with renovation of its flagship New York store located on Madison Avenue in a former mansion.”
Fast fashion remains en vogue. Zara continues to thrive, particularly in Asia. And H&M, which rose 7%, created excitement around the brand by collaborating with well-known designers, and even co-created apparel with an H&M blogger.
The first Chinese apparel brand reached the BrandZ ranking Top 10 in the form of Shanghai-based Metersbonwe, which designs and retails apparel for young adults and benefited from its dominance in China where it operates over 4,000 stores.
