Talking strategy: Robin Headlee discusses the BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands study and the role of strong brands in the apparel industry

Since the global economic recession, businesses have suffered as consumers have reined in their spending and begun to consider their purchases more carefully. But those businesses which have invested in comprehensive branding strategies have been able to increase the value of their brands in the mind of the consumer and cultivate brand loyalty -- which, in turn, has led to real financial rewards. Significantly, businesses which have managed to survive the recession include those that have sustained a strong brand image and, as a result, positioned themselves as trusted and recognisable entities within a competitive retail environment. In "Talking strategy" this quarter, the vice-president of Millward Brown Optimor, Robin Headlee, discusses the findings of the 2013 BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands study. She comments on the ways in which apparel brands have been affected by the recession, and gives examples of successful branding strategies used by apparel retailers who have thrived. In addition, Ms Headlee explains how apparel retailers can make use of technological innovations and social media in order to grow their brands, and outlines how compliance with -- or the disregard of -- corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives can affect a brand's image. She also provides an outlook in which she speculates how the importance of branding could change in the future.

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