All companies tell a story. Some do it with advertising campaigns, others with annual reports or institutional speeches. But there is another story that is more subtle, less visible, and yet deeply important and revealing: the one that organizations write through the intangible and digital assets they create and use every day. Today, more than 90% of the value of S&P 500 companies lies in intangibles. A scenario in which the challenge is not only in generating knowledge, but in being able to transform it into real economic value. In it, intellectual property has become the language of this new economy, and our way of managing it can make the difference between telling a coherent story or leaving it voiceless. Data, business secrets, brands, patents… Each of these elements is a line in the strategic script of an organization. They are not just legal matters: they are conscious decisions that reveal what we value, what we believe in and where we are going. Each industrial and intellectual property asset is a scene in the strategic story of a company. They do not appear by chance: they are decisions that reveal intention, vision and positioning. Thus, brands are the title of that story. They name and distinguish, but they also declare. Its architecture (monolithic, endorsed, multi-brand) and its territorial reach reveal how an organization wants to be recognized, what promise it makes to the market and what links it seeks to establish with its audiences. Patents, on the other hand, outline the argument for innovation. They indicate what technologies are being invested in, what problems are considered strategic and what solutions deserve to be defended against third parties. A well-constructed portfolio not only protects: it anticipates and positions. For its part, business secrets are the unpublished chapters. Invisible to others, but essential. Its existence suggests a differential know-how that constitutes a sustained competitive advantage. They are the silent core of many strategies. On the other hand, industrial designs provide aesthetics and experience. They talk about how form communicates value, how functionality and design are integrated into the company’s proposal. In sectors where perception is key, these assets are the protagonists. Even domain names, copyrights and licensing agreements have their own voice. They reflect digital strategy, creative capabilities, international ambition or the willingness to collaborate and scale through third parties. They are the narrative bridges that connect with new audiences and markets. For all these reasons, an industrial and intellectual property portfolio should not be a collection of dispersed assets, but rather the basis of a coherent narrative. When it is aligned with the company’s vision, it becomes a living story, which evolves with the business and reinforces its positioning. It is, in essence, a much deeper form of storytelling; with not only reputational implications, but also legal and commercial ones. On the contrary, an outdated, fragmented or incoherent portfolio generates dissonance. It can convey an image of improvisation, lack of focus or, worse still, lack of innovation and ambition. In an environment where perception is part of the value, this is no small risk. Therefore, every decision about what to create, protect, communicate, how, where and when should be read as part of the strategy. It is not just about shielding assets, but about building a narrative that is faithful to who we are and what we want to be. It is clear that every company has a story to tell. The question is whether your intellectual property management effectively conveys that story. Does it reflect your evolution? Is it aligned with your vision of the future? Does it project coherence, ambition, differentiation? Reviewing the portfolio of intangible assets with this perspective is not a legal exercise, but a strategic one. It is an invitation to rewrite, if necessary, the invisible script that accompanies each business decision. Because in a world where stories matter as much as products and services, industrial and intellectual property can be the most revealing voice of an organization. María Garaña is Global CEO of ClarkeModet.
