The purpose of this article is to support brand owners facing the growing threats from counterfeiters and brand attackers enabling them to implement an effective brand protection strategy. It is based on multiple discussions with customers and industry experts, on how to effectively tackle these issues.
The emerging consensus being, an optimized brand protection strategy should be built on a holistic approach of the product life cycle for maximum effectiveness.
Step 1: Conception
- Protect inventions, brands, and designs in front of competent legal institutions, to defend Marketing and Innovations investments.
- IP specialized lawyers and supportive organizations network can help here by providing information.
Step 2: Raw materials supply chain
- Control authenticity and quality of raw materials, to avoid products contamination by non-compliant materials.
- International regulations or industries standard will be great help to implement control structures.
- Inter-professional organization will there be a utile knowledge and information source.
Step 3: Production
- Mark and authenticate originality through security features; identify and trace production volumes via serialization and database.
- This combination allows strict control on sub-contracted production, via direct control of security features and effective traceability systems, defending manufacturers over production or diversion.
Step 4: Distribution
- The same combination of Track & Trace systems and authentication tools will protect distribution channels, avoiding also contamination of those channels.
Step 5: Usage
- Use a tamper evident security feature to limit and avoid re-usage of security marks. Use tamper evident by design or sealed packaging to avoid refilling and re-usage of original packaging.
- Traceability at this ultimate step, allows information collection on products consumption and limits also re-usage.
Step 6: Destruction & Recycling
- Use authentication technologies and traceability systems to trace products until the destruction to avoid re-usage and eventually comply with international regulations and standards.
- During all those steps companies should provide to the stakeholders adapted tools and knowledge to authenticate products originality, to ensure counterfeits and diverted products detection and maximum deterrence to brand attackers.
- Without targeted communication and education to the market about the brand protection deployed by brands, all those investments will be ignored and pure losses.
In conclusion, safeguarding your brand against counterfeit threats demands a robust strategy. From conception to destruction, an holistic approach is crucial. Only through a diligently implemented brand protection strategy can businesses secure their investments and maintain consumer trust and market credibility.
Leave a Reply