Three Ways to Protect Your Brand Online
by Kim M. Bayne
e-Business Advisor magazine
April 2001
The Internet can make your brand name more visible and memorable to customers. But whether you enhance your online presence through cutting-edge Web design or a highly interactive user experience, there are risks in promoting a brand online. From the pilfering of collateral materials on the Web to product complaints in a newsgroup, online brand damage can wreak havoc on a company's competitive lead. The damage could result in a dwindled stock price, dried-up product sales, or the inability to recruit the best talent.
"There are so many Web sites and so many outlets for people who want to either pirate imagery or provide negative information about a brand, it's becoming harder to control. If someone sends an e-mail to other people, lots of people are holding their breath," says Brad Aronson, president of i-Frontier, a Philadelphia- based Internet advertising agency.
The risks associated with Internet brand marketing will only get worse as the online population continues to grow.
A host of risks
The Internet's reputation as the "final frontier" has prompted many users to claim that certain principles, such as respect for copyright ownership or avoiding defamation, don't exist in cyberspace.
Unfortunately, even laws and potential lawsuits don't hinder some users from viewing online access as a license to promul- gate inaccuracies, pirate, or plagiarize. After spending hundreds of thousands of dollars crafting a valuable offline brand experience, it's no wonder traditional brand marketers are cautious about online branding.
The most publicized risk associated with promoting a brand online includes intellectual property theft. Because a recognizable and unique Web site can set the stage for a great online branding experience, Web site piracy is a genuine problem.
REALITY CHECK: It's common for a Webmaster to include a copyright statement on Web pages to ward off would-be cheats. This standard practice is an obvious first step in brand protection, but marketers who believe copyright statements discourage rip-off artists are in for a rude awakening. Any average user with a computer, an Internet account, and a browser can capture a simple site, which makes the Internet an excellent and useful reference tool. Most cases of Web page reproduction aren't a violation of intellectual property laws. Such innocent cases may include copying performed for personal non-commercial use, news reporting, and teaching. To varying degrees, all those uses are allowed under U.S. copyright law.
Fair use doctrines aside, online brand marketers are concerned about the user who makes a hobby out of unauthorized copying and redistribution of brand imagery-namely, the unique look and feel of a coveted Web property. With around-the-clock access and the ability to download Web page source code, a misinformed or unethical Webmaster can steal an entire unprotected site in minutes.
"The Internet is a gigantic book of clip art," says Gregory Thomas, principal of Gregory Thomas Associates, a Santa Monica, California- based branding and corporate communications firm. A digital despoiler would rather pilfer a popular site's layout and make a few changes than create his own site from scratch. After the unauthorized repurposing is done, the page pickpocket uploads the site to a new URL, often without any negative consequences.
Brand bandits
Many risks associated with online branding aren't as easily defined as Web page harvesting. Given tacit consent to display brand imagery as a side benefit of being an authorized merchant, Webmasters are consummate name-droppers.
In the brick-and-mortar world, retailers obtain official reproductions of logos and product photos for print and broadcast advertising. Similarly, on the Web, a quick visit to the co-op advertising area of a manufacturer's site can provide a retailer with all the support content and graphics ever needed.
However, unauthorized name-dropping is a risk of online branding. Logos and photography are easily grabbed and used without permission, as is the case of Web sites trying to imply an endorsement and/or capitalize on someone else's good name.
"A lot of sites think they're doing our clients a favor," says i-Frontier's Aronson, observing how his client's banner ads have been copied while running on an authorized site. Those banners were then used without permission elsewhere.
Aronson says this kind of unwanted help can do more harm than good, especially if "the advertiser doesn't want to be associated with a site that's considered controversial."
"If you have a presence in a retail environment, there's a physical, tangible place people can associate with you," says Thomas. A customer who walks into the wrong store at the mall can recognize the mistake and exit quickly.
A customer who browses the wrong site, however, may not notice immediately. Users rely on simple visual cues to tell them they're in the right place. A stolen logo file coupled with misleading content and a similar-sounding URL can confuse an innocent buyer.
Co-branding pitfalls
The most confusing brand issues often come from companies who have permission to use your brand. The Internet makes it relatively easy for companies to find a partner for a variety of promotional programs and affiliate marketing. Co-branding situations also have the potential to damage a brand reputation.
"There's a huge risk to advertisers who associate themselves with a site that does something wrong," says Aronson.
Before you enter into co-branding agreements, make sure the lines of responsibilities and rights are clearly delineated.
"There's a lack of specificity in co-branding,agreements," says Peter DePasquale, CEO for Dirty Water Integrated, Inc., a New York-based branding services and marketing firm. The excitement in closing the deal often clouds a Web marketer's vision. When that happens, there's room for error: unwanted communications to a shared customer base, or privacy violations that reverberate around the Net.
When documenting a co-branding partnership, both parties should spell out who will own and manage customer data, including any mutual restrictions on its use. You should also define the number and frequency of opt-in e-mail notices. Each party should agree whether or not anyone has the right to resell customer data, and this agreement must be in line with posted privacy guidelines at both sites.
Corporate identity guidelines should always be well defined, and co-branding agreements should include a final approval by both parties for all marketing materials. Marketers have been known to unwittingly chage logo colors (to save printing costs), re-proportion logos (to fit a predefined layout), and eliminate required word marks (to save room).
Steps to a stronger online brand
With big risks come big rewards. Therefore, while some marketing veterans claim traditional branding is easier and safer, no one can dispute the advantages offered by branding online.
As an interactive medium, the Internet has greater poten- tial than offline media to "create a good feeling toward a product," says Peter Daboll, president and chief operating officer of Advertising.com, an advertising services company. By involving a user in a pleasurable activity-such as a game or trivia quiz-a brand can more easily transcend "the physical attributes of a product," Daboll adds.
"To be online and not use the medium doesn't maxiniize your ability to take advantage of the interactivity," says DePasquale.
"If I were advertising a heart rate monitor, I would do certain things in a print ad. I could reproduce that online, but that wouldn't be branding. If I made the ad interactive, I'd ask people to enter their weight, take their pulse, etc. I would do sixteen things you can't do offline," says DePasquale.
REMEMBER: Once a strong brand is established, it's harder to mislead consumers about who represents that brand or the brand's attributes.
There are no foolproof answers to protecting your brand online. There are, however, some good ways to reduce the effects of branding fiascoes.
1. Spread the word: Build your customer base numbers through "word-of-mouse" referrals, also known as viral marketing techniques. DePasquale advises making it easy for customers to tell their friends or send information to friends. Aggregating a large network of third-party endorsers is another good defense against would-be masqueraders.
2. Nurture relationships: Maintain contact with customers on a regular basis. Nothing beats brand encroachment tactics than making good friends and keeping them satisfied.
3. Watch your back: Regularly monitor chat rooms, discussion groups, and online complaint sites. Be proactive in squelching rumors immediately, suggests Aronson.
Real-world examples
Nick.corn, the official site of Nickelodeon, has built a strong brand identity among its young audience. Programs and commercial breaks continually reference the Web site, which extends the Nickelodeon brand through its concept of TV supersites for such shows as cartoon "SpongeBob Squarepants." Surfing kids can find sweepstakes, interactive games, sevensavers and a clickable talking cast picture.
Tapping into the Internet's auction frenzy, consumer brand Frito Lay finds brand equity in offering cool stuff to online consumers who save "Ploids" or proofs of purchase. Dubbed the "official currency of Planet Lunch," Ploids are found on the backs of lunchbox-size bags of Cheetos, Doritos, and Fritos. Completing the transfer of real-world brand to the Web, munching kids are instructed to go to eploids.com to bid for cool stuff such as sports equipment, CDs and videos, and electronic gadgets.
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Can you protect your brand marketing online? Yes! * Regularly monitor newsgroups, chat groups, and online complaint sites * Be proactive in your public relations efforts and immediately squelch rumors * Be wary of co-branding partnerships But ... * Online branding risks will only get worse as more people use the Internet * Copyright and trademark taws don't deter people from stealing intellectual property |
COPYRIGHT 2001 Advisor Publications, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group