Strong branding 'vital during recession'

Date: 6th May 2009

The importance of strong company branding has been inflated by the economic downturn, figures show.

Statistics released by the intellectual property group Marks and Clerk reveal that 84 per cent of business managers see brands as playing a necessary role during the recession.

Despite this, only a fifth of those surveyed in the poll suggested that they would be devoting more time to protecting their intellectual property.

A partner at Marks and Clerk, Pam Withers, commented: "One of the most important contributions a strong or dominant brand can give a business is long-term resilience and a greater ability to weather the storm as consumers fly to quality."

She added that the costs of potential infringement far outweighed those of monitoring and protection.

Research disclosed by the website Enterprise Nation last month showed that more than five million people in the UK are currently running their own business start-up.