The stock market response to corporate scandals and the use of the
internet by pressure groups have sensitized boards to the risk of
reputation loss. Particularly at risk are companies using corporate brands
whose fame and spread makes them particularly vulnerable. This study looks
at these and other pressures on branding and investigates if and how
leading companies have responded in the deployment of their brand
portfolios. A repeat audit of the use of brand portfolios by leading
companies using exactly the same method used over a decade ago reveals
much change. Brand structures of the 20 companies investigated have indeed
changed but not uniformly in extent or direction.