John Murphy (branding consultant)
Encyclopedia
John Matthew Murphy, born 1946 in Essex
, pioneered the art of brand valuation, that is, measuring the accounting value of a company's brands as assets, and in so doing, he stimulated the development of branding as an aspect of business. Murphy founded Interbrand
, one of the first (and still one of the leading) branding consultancies, and named many familiar brands. Brunel University
admitted him to the honorary degree
of Doctor of Social Sciences in 2001.
in 1974, Murphy launched Novamark, a small company specialising in product naming and in trade mark registrations. Brand names born of his efforts include:
(1979), he adopted a new name for the company: Interbrand. Among the innovative services that Interbrand developed in the 1980s was brand valuation. As Murphy later explained, there was "a huge buying and selling of branded-goods businesses where what was essentially being bought and sold was brands. But nobody knew how to value brands." In 1987, Interbrand announced that it had developed a proprietary methodology for brand evaluation and in 1989 Murphy edited a seminal work on the subject: Brand Valuation – Establishing a true and fair view. In 1993, Murphy decided to sell Interbrand, which by then had a headcount of 600 and a burgeoning international practice, to Omnicom
. He stayed on at Omnicom as Interbrand's chairperson till 1996 to help with the transition.
they controlled in their local territories, rather than through their brands. People in England tend to drink the local ales and beers served in their local pub. In 1996, Murphy established St. Peter's
, a small artisan brewery in Bungay, Suffolk
, from scratch, with an international brand to suit – and without a substantial chain of controlled pub outlets.
Murphy also led the acquisition from Allied Domecq
of the Plymouth Gin
distillery and brand in 1996 by a small group of investors. He identified Plymouth Gin as an underperforming product with a famous history: the basis of the pink gin
in Britain and popular in the United States even through the prohibition era
. At the time of acquisition, the distillery was producing some 3,000 cases of gin a year, but had capacity to make 200,000. After Murphy's repackaging and PR
campaign, sales had soared to 150,000 cases by 2003.
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, pioneered the art of brand valuation, that is, measuring the accounting value of a company's brands as assets, and in so doing, he stimulated the development of branding as an aspect of business. Murphy founded Interbrand
Interbrand
Interbrand, a division of Omnicom, is a global branding consultancy, specializing in vast brand services, including brand analytics, brand strategy, brand valuation, corporate design, digital brand management, and naming...
, one of the first (and still one of the leading) branding consultancies, and named many familiar brands. Brunel University
Brunel University
Brunel University is a public research university located in Uxbridge, London, United Kingdom. The university is named after the Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel....
admitted him to the honorary degree
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
of Doctor of Social Sciences in 2001.
Product names
In LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1974, Murphy launched Novamark, a small company specialising in product naming and in trade mark registrations. Brand names born of his efforts include:
- PrestelPrestelPrestel , the brand name for the UK Post Office's Viewdata technology, was an interactive videotex system developed during the late 1970s and commercially launched in 1979...
, the UK Post Office videotex service - British Telecom, then part of the Post Office, subsequently BT
- Metro, a range of cars
- HobNobHobNobHobnob is a brand name of biscuit made from rolled oats and jumbo oats, similar to a flapjack/digestive biscuit hybrid. They are mainly sold in the United Kingdom and Ireland. In Italy they are now marketed as a variety of Digestive, having previously been known as Suncrok.-History:The recipe was...
, a biscuit - HomebaseHomebaseHomebase is a British home improvement store and garden centre, with 350 stores across the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. It is well known by its green and orange colour scheme. Together with its sister company Argos , it forms part of Home Retail Group. Homebase recorded sales figures...
, a chain of home improvement stores and garden centres - Prozac, an antidepressant drug
- SliceSlice (soft drink)Slice is a line of fruit-flavored soft drinks manufactured by PepsiCo and introduced in 1984, with the lemon-lime flavor replacing Teem.Varieties of Slice have included apple, fruit punch, grape, passionfruit, peach glaze, Mandarin orange, pineapple, strawberry, Cherry Cola, "Red", Cherry-Lime, and...
, a range soft drinks - ZenecaZenecaZeneca Group PLC was a multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. Zeneca was formed in June 1993 by the demerger of the pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals businesses of Imperial Chemical Industries into a separate company listed on the London Stock Exchange.In 1999...
, a pharmaceutical company - DiscoveryLand Rover DiscoveryThe Discovery was introduced into the United Kingdom in 1989. The company code-named the vehicle "Project Jay". The new model was based on the chassis and drivetrain of the more upmarket Range Rover, but with a lower price aimed at a larger market segment and intended to compete with Japanese...
, a sport utility vehicle - Kaliber, a low-alcohol lager
Interbrand and brand valuation
In the 1970s, the scope of Novamark's consulting work expanded to encompass, for example, brand design and brand strategy in what we now know as "branding" – a concept that was new at the time. So when Murphy opened his first overseas office, in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
(1979), he adopted a new name for the company: Interbrand. Among the innovative services that Interbrand developed in the 1980s was brand valuation. As Murphy later explained, there was "a huge buying and selling of branded-goods businesses where what was essentially being bought and sold was brands. But nobody knew how to value brands." In 1987, Interbrand announced that it had developed a proprietary methodology for brand evaluation and in 1989 Murphy edited a seminal work on the subject: Brand Valuation – Establishing a true and fair view. In 1993, Murphy decided to sell Interbrand, which by then had a headcount of 600 and a burgeoning international practice, to Omnicom
Omnicom Group
Omnicom Group is a holding company whose agencies provide marketing and communications services in the disciplines of advertising, customer relationship management , strategic media planning and buying, digital and interactive marketing, direct and promotional marketing, public relations and...
. He stayed on at Omnicom as Interbrand's chairperson till 1996 to help with the transition.
Suffolk beer and Plymouth gin
As he relinquished hands-on management of Interbrand, Murphy turned his hand to building brands himself. Pondering why it was so difficult to buy English beers and ales abroad, he realised it was because many brewers' primary marketing thrust was through the pubsPublic house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
they controlled in their local territories, rather than through their brands. People in England tend to drink the local ales and beers served in their local pub. In 1996, Murphy established St. Peter's
St. Peter's Brewery
St. Peter's is an independent brewery founded in 1996 by John Murphy in former agricultural buildings adjacent to St. Peter’s Hall in Bungay, Suffolk, England.-Brief details:...
, a small artisan brewery in Bungay, Suffolk
Bungay, Suffolk
Bungay is a market town in the English county of Suffolk. It lies in the Waveney valley, west of Beccles on the edge of The Broads, and at the neck of a meander of the River Waveney.-Early history:...
, from scratch, with an international brand to suit – and without a substantial chain of controlled pub outlets.
Murphy also led the acquisition from Allied Domecq
Allied Domecq
Allied Domecq PLC was an international company, headquartered in Bristol, UK that operated spirits, wine, and quick service restaurant businesses. It was once a FTSE 100 Index constituent but has been acquired by Pernod Ricard.-History:...
of the Plymouth Gin
Plymouth Gin
Plymouth Gin is a style of gin that by law can only be produced in Plymouth, England, it being a Protected Geographical Indication within the European Union. The Plymouth Gin Distillery is the only gin distillery located in Plymouth in what was once a Dominican Order monastery built in 1431 and...
distillery and brand in 1996 by a small group of investors. He identified Plymouth Gin as an underperforming product with a famous history: the basis of the pink gin
Pink Gin
Pink Gin is a cocktail made fashionable in the United Kingdom in the mid-19th century, consisting of Plymouth gin and a dash of 'pink' Angostura bitters, a dark red extract of gentian and spices, known from the 1820s at Angostura, Venezuela but now made in Trinidad and Tobago...
in Britain and popular in the United States even through the prohibition era
Prohibition in the United States
Prohibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, in place from 1920 to 1933. The ban was mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and the Volstead Act set down the rules for enforcing the ban, as well as defining which...
. At the time of acquisition, the distillery was producing some 3,000 cases of gin a year, but had capacity to make 200,000. After Murphy's repackaging and PR
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
campaign, sales had soared to 150,000 cases by 2003.