When To Launch A Second Brand?

Whenever a fashion or technological change occurs, an existing brand, no matter how dominant, faces a choice.Should the brand be ‘stretched’ to encompass the new fashion or technology or should the company launch a second brand? If the change is significant enough, the better answer is almost always ‘launch a second brand.’

* The rise of casual clothing in the workplace led Levi Strauss to introduce Dockers which has become a billion dollar worldwide brand.

* The success of Mercedes-Benz and BMW led Toyota to introduce Lexus which has become the largest-selling luxury vehicle in the U.S.

* The success of Makita, a Japanese professional-tool brand, led Black & Decker to introduce DeWalt which has become the dominant brand in the category.

* The success of Costco led Wal-Mart to introduce Sam’s Club which is now neck and neck with the category leader.When it comes to launching successful second brands, you rapidly run out of case histories. By far the majority of marketers prefer to expand their core brand to cover the new category. With mediocre success. Some examples:

* IBM’s failure to extend its mainframe dominance to the personal computer field.
* Xerox’s failure to extend its copier dominance to the computer field.
* Polaroid’s failure to move its brand out of instant photography.
* Kodak’s failure to duplicate its film photography success in the digital field.Companies that shy away from second brands usually end up paying a high price for their insularity.

Take Visa U.S.A. and MasterCard International. So far, it has cost the two credit card companies $3 billion with possibly more financial bad news to come.A number of years ago, the two credit-card giants decided to get into the debit-card business. It would be hard to find two categories that are more competitive. Credit cards are the enemy of debit cards. And visa versa.So what do Visa and MasterCard do? They put the same names on both cards. Visa on credit cards and Visa on debit cards. And the same for Master Card.

To compound the problem, both card companies force their retailers to ‘honor all cards.’ In other words, if a retailer accepts a Visa credit card, the retailer must also accept a Visa debit card.Then they put the debit card charges through the same signature-based system as the credit card charges, forcing the retailer to pay five to ten times as much in fees as they would if the customer has used one of the alternate debit card networks such as Star, Pulse or NYCE, which use a personal identification number, or PIN-based system.In the biggest antitrust settlement in history, Visa U.S.A. agreed to pay $2 billion and MasterCard International $1 billion to a group of retailers led by Wal-Mart. Their contention: ‘Honor all cards’ was an illegal tie-in scheme.Why not launch a second ‘debit’ brand to complement the Visa or MasterCard ‘credit’ brands? It’s the chicken-and-egg problem, explained one Visa executive. Visa would have had to start a new brand from scratch, one not yet issued by any bank or honored by any merchant. ‘But why would you possibly have done that?’We can think of three billion reasons. But more important than the short-term financial losses at Visa and MasterCard are the long-term implications of their ‘honor all cards’ strategy.

By integrating its debit with its credit card system, Visa (as well as MasterCard) is locked into a slower, less secure and more expensive way of processing debit-card charges.Actually MasterCard did try a second brand strategy, launching a PIN product called Maestro (not exactly a worldclass name). But Maestro was losing out to the Visa signature-debit card, so MasterCard reversed course and came up with their own signature debit card. Too bad. If they had had a little more faith in their strategy, today MasterCard would have been a billion dollar richer with a big lead in PIN-based debit cards over its Visa competition.

Like many marketing problems, the debit-card situation is complicated. How do you design a product that has benefits for all the players in the game? Consumers, retailers, banks and the card network itself? It’s not easy.Here is where the power of conceptual thinking comes in. Categories tend to diverge, not converge. You may not know how, when or where that divergence will take place, but you can be sure that ultimately it will. Two different categories, credit cards and debit cards, will become more and more different and there’s nothing one company can do about it.

Trying to keep them together under the same brand name is an exercise in futility.Never fight a trend. As time goes on, there’s always room for new brands. If you don’t launch a second brand, you can be sure that some of your competitors will.
Sponsored By: The Brand Positioning Workshop

Brand Naming and Acronyms

An acronym is a pronounceable word formed from the initial letters of a name (WAC, for Women's Army Corps), or formed by combining the first parts of a series of words (RADAR, from Radio Detecting and Ranging).

As these examples suggest, once an acronym becomes embedded in the language, most people forget -- or never bother to learn -- the underlying words. Just ask someone what "laser" actually stands for. (Ready? It's "Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation.")

Naming a product or service with an acronym is like an Olympic diving competition. The best efforts carry a high degree of difficulty. First of all, to make the name pronounceable, you need some well-placed vowels. Examples: QANTAS, from Queensland and Northern Territories Air Service. NATO, North Atlantic Treaty Organization. INTERPOL, International Police Organization. GEICO, Government Employees Insurance Company. NABISCO, National Biscuit Company. (The "Co." abbreviation is easy to pronounce and combine, which accounts for its frequent role in acronyms). Without vowels, you just get an impenetrable jumble of letters. (MSDW for Morgan Stanley, Dean Witter).

Best of all, you'd like the word formed by the letters to have a strong meaning and an immediate relationship to the brand. That's a home run in acronyms. Examples: VISTA (Volunteers In Service to America), MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Drivers), PLAY (Participate in the Lives of America's Youth).

Merge two organizations, and you can create collisions of initials that resemble car wrecks. But sometimes, you can hit that home run. Our favorite example was the merger of two big labor unions, the International Ladies Garment Workers Union and the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union. The result could have been the mother of all jumbles: The ILGWACTWU.

But cooler heads prevailed. Their merged identity carries the dandy acronym UNITE: Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees.

http://www.brandingstrategyinsider.com/2009/11/brand-naming-and-acronyms.html

How to be a Good Client

The wisdom of David Ogilvy lives on in this reminder to client side marketers...How To Be A Good Client:

1. Emancipate your agency from fear.

2. Select the right agency in the first place.

3. Brief your agency very thoroughly indeed.

4. Do not compete with your agency in the creative area.

5. Coddle the goose who lays the golden egg. (provide enough time and resources to do the job well.)

6. Don’t strain your advertising through too many layers.

7. Make sure your agency makes a profit.

8. Don’t haggle with your agency.

9. Be candid and encourage candor.

10. Set high standards.

11. Test everything.

12. Hurry. (Profit is a function of time.)

13. Don’t waste time on problem babies (Back your successes and abandon your losses.)

14. Tolerate genius.

15. Don’t under spend. (The surest way to overspend on advertising is not to spend enough to do the job properly.)

~David Ogilvy in Confessions of an Advertising Man

Trademark Search Is Important!!!

Don't just assume that your name, brand, logo or slogan has not already been USED by your competitors. Just imagine that one day you received a legal letter WARNING you that you can no longer use your name, brand, logo or slogan, and you have infringe your competitor's trademark... It could costs you THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS trying to defend yourself and all your valuable assets and benefits acquired through out the years will become QUESTIONABLE and "AT RISK"!

WHY DO YOU NEED TO CONDUCT A SEARCH ?
Make sure that no one is legally using your name right now in the marketplace.
Make sure that you are not infringing upon your competitor’s rights.
Determine if your business name has the ability to expand into a new country.
Determine whether or not to proceed with your proposed name.
Save MILLIONS OF DOLLARS in your production or services line
Please do not underestimate the value of a trademark search. Trademark search is optional, but it is very fundamental to know the full extent of any possible use of your mark prior to filing your trademark application. Conducting a search does not require you to register for a trademark but it will enable you to analyze any conflicting marks that may already exist in the marketplace.

Q And A About Trademark

What is a Trademark ?
A trademark is a sign which distinguishes the goods and services of one trader from those of another trader within the marketplace. A sign can be a word, logo, picture, name, letter, numeral or any combination of these.


Why need to conduct Trademark searches?
In many countries, trademark office register mark without comparing them with the existing registered trademark earlier. You run the risk of infringing someone's mark if you do not conduct a trademark search prior to using a trademark in the particular marketplace. It would cost you to change your mark if there is an opposition from registered owner of the similar mark in the particular marketplace..


Why register Trademark?
A registered trademark gives the owner an exclusive rights to use the trademark in the particular marketplace. They also have the rights to take legal action under the Trade Mark Law against others trader who use or infringe their marks without the owner consent. Registration certificate issued by Registrar Office is a prima facie evidence of trademark ownership. A certificate of registration serves as an important document to establish the ownership of goods.


What is the term of a Trademark and its Renewal?
The protection of trademark begins on the date in which the application was approved and gazetted. A trademark registration in Malaysia is renewable every 10 years.


What is the Trademark registration process?
Every application will be examined to ensure the registrability of the trademark. If there is an objection to the trademark, applicants may submit submission in writing or apply for a hearing. Trade mark accepted for registration will be advertised in the Government Gazette to allow any party to forward their opposition on the registration of the trademark. If there is no opposition, the mark will be registered and a Registration Certificate will be issued.


Is there an "International Trademark"?
NO. A trademark registered in Malaysia is valid only in Malaysia. If you wish to export your products to overseas, a separate application must be made in each of the countries where you want seek protection.


Why Bizwalk?
Our company specialize in trademark registration in Malaysia and are committed to excellence and highest standard of commitment in servicing our valued clients.

PRODUCTS N SERVICES

BIZWALK is trading and consultancy based company, has actively been supplying products and services since its inception in April, 2007.We initially involved in supplying various products , then expanding our business into consultancy related to Intelectual Property matters .We are understand our customers requirements, we deliver a first-class services, inspired by our qualified people to suit any special request by our clients. We also have a strong & committed management to ensure our clients get the best service from us.

Our products :
Media Cetak/printed matter
Office Equipments/Stationary
Water Technology Equipments
General retail supplier.

Our Services:
IP Right consultancy and Services:
Trade Mark, Copyright, Industrial Design.

BizWalk Trading & Consultancy

Email: kerjakampung@gmail.com.

10 Basic Reason Why You Must Register Your Mark.

REASON 1
Turn your ideas into wealth. All successful business starts with brilliant ideas. Thus, preventive measures against any unforeseen infringement or legal actions should be in place.
The registration of your trademark becomes a valuable company asset. As a matter of fact, the single most valuable asset in the world is the Coca-Cola registered trademark, estimated to be worth more than $67.5 billion.

REASON 2
Protect your market share through Trade Mark registration. The law provides you with remedies against a trademark counterfeiter.

REASON 3
Enjoy tax incentives and government grants which are only available to a registered trade mark proprietor.

REASON 4
Secure your trade mark for potential business growth. The registration makes it easier to license your trademark and avail of royalties whenever your licensees employ your brand.

REASON 5
Like a diamond, a registered trademark lasts forever, so long as you utilize it and renew it every ten years.

REASON 6
Every trademark registration gives the Customs Department the right to seize goods infringing your mark. Having the customs on your side could save you thousands of dollars.

REASON 7
The registration gives you the right to use the “Registered” symbol ® - adding prestige to your company and its products.

REASON 8
Upon registering your mark, you will receive an official certificate of registration. This certificate makes your “intangible” intellectual property more tangible.

REASON 9
The registration creates a legal presumption that you own a valid mark nationwide. Otherwise, you would be spending a lot of time and money proving that you own a valid mark.

REASON 10
As a registered trademark owner, you will be protected under the Trade Descriptions Act 1972 against any false representation or misleading statement of your goods and services.

WHAT WE CAN DO FOR U

Safeguarding your brand or logo may be the best business decision you’ll ever make. Now is the time to make sure that your brand is yours and yours alone.
The fact of the matter is, registering your trademark will save you millions in legal costs. Best of all, you can also boost your financial bottom line by granting licenses to third parties.BIZWALK CONSULTANCY is here to assist you with:

1. Conducting pre-filing search and provide analysis on the registrability of your trademark.

2. Assisting you throughout your application, responding to any Official Actions, attending hearing before the Registrar etc.

3. Keeping track of your trademark renewal dates.

4. Looking out for possible infringement of your trademarks.

5. Drawing up and negotiating agreements for licensing, distribution, franchising and acquisition.

TRADEMARK OVERVIEW

Trademark is a distinctive sign which identifies certain goods or services as those produced or provided by a specific person or enterprise. It may comprise of a name, a logo, a combination of letters and/or numbers, a slogan, a label or any other sign used to identify company’s products or services, thus distinguishing them from those of the competitors.
A trademark provides protection to the owner of the mark by ensuring the exclusive right to use it to identify goods or services, or to authorize another to use it in return for payment. The period of protection is 10 years, but renewable indefinitely beyond the time limit on payment of additional fees. Trademark protection is enforced by the courts, which in most systems have the authority to block trademark infringement.

Requirement of Trademark Registration.
In order for a trademark to be registrable, it shall contain at least one of the following particulars:
1. The name of an individual, company or firm represented in a special or particular manner;
2. The signature of the applicant for the registration or of some predecessor in his business;
3. An invented word or words;
4. A word having no direct reference to the character or quality of the goods or services not being, according to its ordinary meaning, a geographical name or surname; or
5. Any other distinctive mark.

(Section 10(1) of Trade Marks Act 1976)
A registrable trademark should not be based on generic terms, nor should it be made up of words having a direct relation to the goods or services. A trade mark is not registrable if it is not capable of distinguishing your goods or services from the same or similar goods or services of other traders in the marketplace. Trade marks which conflict with an earlier trade mark, or would mislead the public about the nature of the goods and services, are also difficult to register.

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once u move forward , dont turning back..