Why is brand protection important? Because nowadays, counterfeiting is becoming an enormous problem. It does, of course, harm the brand reputation as for example in the watch industry but in the worst case, it can even kill people as in the case of pharmaceutical counterfeits.
Why is brand protection important? As stated by Dr. Martin Kutter in “Industrial Production WorldWide”, product counterfeiting is a reality and for some, a life threatening one.
Fortunately, some legislative efforts have been made to encourage the implementation of brand protection measures. Nevertheless, such brand protection strategies are not free and brand owners need to select the best compromise in terms of security versus cost, which requires the setup of a brand protection team.
A good brand protection program should be holistic and include anti-counterfeiting, track and trace and other solutions depending on market needs. Indeed, in this combined case the anti-counterfeit feature will tell the user that the tracking code can be trusted. And traceability makes sense only if backed-up by a solid brand protection strategy, else it can even be counterproductive.
In this article I will answer the following question: “Why is brand protection important?” Basically, it is because a good brand protection strategy can help reduce the costs induced by counterfeiting and can therefore be considered as an asset instead of as a cost.
I will be listing below the three major costs incurred due to counterfeiting activities and explain why is brand protection important in mitigating those.
Why is brand protection important
- legal enforcement makes brand protection important
When certain sectors are particularly affected by counterfeit, some legal initiatives are put in place (as in the tobacco industry). It is much easier for the brand owner to state that the brand protection solutions already put in place are indeed compliant with the legal initiative than being forced to hurriedly implement a potentially unsuitable solution. At AlpVision, we never sell a product. Instead we always take a holistic view of the situation and will even propose a competitor’s solution if it looks better suited to the situation.
- reduced sales makes brand protection important
If one brand is known to have counterfeit, people may select another similar brand which will result in a decrease in sales. Announcing publicly that a brand protection strategy is in place although the details are being kept secret will reassure public opinion. In some cases, a smartphone App can even be delivered to the consumer. At AlpVision, we provide covert security solutions that can either be used internally or deployed at the consumer level depending on your brand protection strategy. And of course, all our solutions can be verified using a dedicated smartphone application.
- fines and decreased share value makes brand protection important
If companies are accused of not having fought against counterfeits, they may have fines levied against them, resulting in a decrease of their share value due to the impact on public opinion. Low quality security features (such as serial numbers) may be not considered as real, or effective security features should a lawsuit be brought. At AlpVision, we provide highly secure features that help our customers have the most efficient brand protection program.
Based on the above list which is not exhaustive, we can conclude that a good brand protection strategy can help brand owners reduce the costs induced by counterfeit goods. Now that you understand why is brand protection important, do you want to learn more about how AlpVision, one of the top brand protection companies, could help you achieve this goal? Please contact-us or visit our brand protection web page, we will be happy to answer any question you may have.