Currently, brands play a significant role in developed societies. A thorough analysis of the impact of trademarks and branding on citizens, firms and economy requires taking into account a historical approach. Brand value has been analyzed from different scientific perspectives such as those from marketing, accounting, and economic or social studies. This multidisciplinary research project (UAM-CEMU-2012-034) is devoted to the hypothesis that the brand is an intangible asset with complex network effects. Thus, brand and trademark studies require multidimensional approaches, which include an unavoidable historical perspective. The objectives would be, among others:

• Using historical databases for the understanding of enduring brands and the processes of trademark management and value accumulation.
• Developing econometric models to evaluate the contribution of trademark value on economic growth.
• Assessing brand equity from a financial and a marketing perspective and analyzing their links.
• Analyzing the economic impact of strategic variables related to trademark market entry.
• Comparing divergences between brand image sought by the company and perceived by consumers.
• Reflecting on the main sociological items related to the historical development of brand communities.