The disclosures made by public companies should contain more detailed information about the value of brands and intangible assets, according to equity analysts.
Forty-nine per cent of those polled by Brand Finance said that public companies in their sector do not currently provide adequate information for investors on the value of their intangible assets, and 48% said companies did not provide sufficient information on the value of their brands.
The survey data suggest, however, that significant progress has been made in this area over the last 15 years. In the previous edition of the survey, conducted in 2001, 68% of those polled were dissatisfied with the information on intangible assets, and 76% said companies did not provide sufficient information on the value of their brands.
The 2016 edition highlighted some aspects which analysts largely found to be satisfactory, such as the degree and quality of information provided by companies in areas such as future market trends (61% of respondents deemed provision on this subject adequate), channel and distribution strategy (48%), and new product development activity (46%).