A combination of increasing economic significance of brands, and the new international accounting and corporate governance standards (IFRS3), have increased the importance of initiating a well informed discussion on the value that brands deliver to businesses.

The Brand League table which is developed by Brand Finance and published annually by LMD, now in its 4th consecutive year, is a much looked forward to annual review of Sri Lanka’s top 100 brands. This has been further enhanced with a much more in-depth market research analysis this year.

The brand certification therefore is based on identifying the relationship that the brand has with its customers as well as through an overall understanding of the strength of the brand and its ability to continue to generate future cash flows to the business.

A brand rating is equivalent to that of a corporate credit rating system, certifying the health of the brand.

The five brands which were certified were, Singer, Bank of Ceylon, AMW, Peoples Leasing and Union Assurance.

The formal certification ceremony held recently was presided by chief guest Nabankur Gupta a senior business executive and a director of several listed companies in India.

Brand Finance plays the vital role of bridging the gap between marketing and finance, by providing a common language and set of metrics that can be used effectively by marketing and finance people, as well as by analysts and investors. This involves redefining the relationship between marketing and finance to manage brand and customer value, which is the lifeblood of any enterprise.