Those who know me best know that quantifying the value of what we do as a marketing communications firm is important to me. Frankly, it makes it much easier to convince clients that what we do matters. That’s why I was excited to run across a white paper recently, entitled “The Impact of Design on Stock Market Performance.”

Every company has manufacturing standards. Brand standards are just as important.

A furniture manufacturer I know insists on using a certain type of screw and a certain type of wood when producing his furniture. I remember asking him once if cheaper screws and different wood would increase his margins. His response — “Sure, but it would catch up with me.”

“People trust our brand because of our reputation for quality,” he said. “As soon as I start compromising the quality, my customers will start looking for a furniture maker who doesn’t.”

Wanna see brand equity in action? I was in the camping section today and observed this side-by-side comparison of two “Emergency Ponchos.”