Who Really Owns Your Brand?

published Jun 8, 2007
Who Really Owns Your Brand
You may think that you have an absolute, 100% ownership for your brand, yet if your name identity is shared with hundreds of others, then you clearly lack 100% ownership.

What's the point of brand-building if you are simply brand-sharing?

Global icons like Sony, Rolex or PlayStation are completely unique around the world, there is no dispute concerning who owns these brands whatsoever.

So why is it so difficult for your brands to achieve this global respect and position.

Corporations often justify or deny such serious name handicaps, similarities, marketplace confusion, and trademark limitations directly impacting the sales as customers out there are not catching the tune.

Agencies can come up with advertising campaigns and announcements complete with all the hype to attract temporary attention, yet like a fireworks display, this is often short lived and the impact of the brand name will fade away, as it begins to need more and more oxygen to survive.

So what is it that makes a great name?

Something short, sweet and simple, like Sony, something highly related to its goods and services, like Microsoft or PlayStation; something globally protectable like Rolex; and lastly, something with an identically matching dotcom URL as a key to its corporate empire, flowing smoothly on the worldwide e-commerce access, like CNN.com.