Why Not, Why and How to Value Intangible Marketing Assets

Discusses intangible marketing assets and the difficulties of the valuation of these. Considers the problem of definition of intangible marketing assets and tries to clarify this. States the Accounting Principles Board (USA) as possessing the characteristic ‘identifiability’ and by the Accounting Standards Committee (UK and Ireland) as ‘separability’ and by others as controllability. However, within this article quantifies intangible marketing assets as ‘all non‐separable assets which yield a full advantage in the output markets of competitive organization’. Further looks at the historic costing and modernist accounting thought. Concludes by stating that the exclusion of marketing intangible assets from the accounting valuation process does, however, pose consequential dangers, which are itemized and discussed.