MEDIA-I: Interbrand debates branding online

<p>Interbrand has launched Brandchannel.com, an online exchange for </p><p>brand practitioners, offering information and debate on the subject of </p><p>brands and branding. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Kim Faulkner, Brandchannel managing director, said that while the portal </p><p>was set up by Interbrand, it would remain an independent entity focused </p><p>on providing a "global perspective on brands - what works, what doesn't </p><p>work and what hasn't even been tried". </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The service, which is available free, offers case studies and analysis; </p><p>latest in academic thinking; peer networking; and reference sources from </p><p>journalists, and legal and marketing specialists. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>According to Faulkner, Interbrand came up with the idea to set up the </p><p>site, but plans were delayed when the company found the brandchannel.com </p><p>domain had already been registered. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"Although the URL wasn't being used, it had been registered. This idea </p><p>had been an ambition of ours for some time. We are passionate about </p><p>brands and as this is our business, so it seemed logical that we act on </p><p>this and offer a learning experience for people interested in </p><p>brands." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>She added the site would be particularly valuable to Asian companies </p><p>interested in building a strong brand - enabling them to contribute to </p><p>and learn from international experts and practitioners of branding. The </p><p>site looks at both international and Asian brands. "During the Firestone </p><p>product crisis we had people debating the issue and how it threatened </p><p>one of the oldest brands in the automotive industry," she said. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>International contributors to the site include Paul Melhuish, marketing </p><p>manager of Land Rover in South Africa; Edwin Young, and Beijing </p><p>correspondent for China Economic Quarterly. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Brandchannel chairman Chuck Brymer said: "Branding is critical to the </p><p>creation of earnings power, and a strong antidote in times of corporate </p><p>and product crisis." </p><p><BR><BR> </p>