The Globe and Mail

As if we haven't had enough problems with the tech and U.S. housing bubbles of the past decade, fasten your seat belts ... for when the brand bubble bursts. John Gerzema, chief insights officer at Young & Rubicam Inc., writes in ChangeThis Manifestos that, while brand values have risen steadily over the past decade, customers' brand awareness has declined 20 per cent, brand esteem 12 per cent, perceived brand quality 24 per cent, and trust in brands a staggering 50 per cent. He points out that this means most businesses and the financial markets believe brands are worth more than the consumers who buy them, and eventually this brand valuation gap will result in a crash, as top companies learn they aren't worth what they had believed.