Against Closed Eyes In Marketing

Card holders offer one of the efficient methods, which guarantees a visible spot for your company or trade name and supplies umpteen outstanding opportunities to advertize your company. It is a stylishly fashioned promotional ware, which gives an superior publicizing platform for your organisation and allows a solid base for your business organization. Oyster card wallets enable you to fit the need as well as the sample of your likely clients. It is a ideal item of utility, which grants an original, working and a trusted way of raising your brand name. It makes a best option for gift granting, aiding you to display or promote your business organization among your appreciated customers, disregarding of the character of your business.

1) This item is also central for holding membership cards. It is a superior ware and ordinarily arrives with a cash back warranty. It will assist to gain the visibility and perception of your brandmark in a unique and modern way. This item will genuinely aid you to deliver your company messages all year long.

2) Oyster wallets can help you keep all of your essential cards or travel passes together in one safe and convenient point. They are produced from durable PVC plastic and include credit card slots and central note pocket. They look trendy and impressive and provide a large chance to make an authoritative effect. You can either present them to your customers, friends, delegates or work mates, for valuing them for their work. They will really make you jump higher up the masses and are great for your own individual purpose, too.

3) They create an ambient medium to deliver your promoting messages, efficaciously. Card wallets can be made with your trade name and easily produce popularity for your company or organization. They can be embossed and published with your company or logotype and create an premium gift for your customers or treasured ones.

4) They make an ambient medium to present your campaigning messages, effectively. Card wallets can be made with your brand name and easily produce popularity for your society or organization. They can be mounted and published with your trade mark or logotype and make an outstanding present for your customers or favorite ones.

5) Your customers will be able to move in style and protect their precious travel card or identification at the same time and thinking of who gave them such an exquisite gift. It can be published in full color with a assortment of different finishes. By employing your party logotype, you can all of a sudden metamorphose this simple object into an attractive effective promotional tool. This item can assist you to prompt your clients of your society brand, over and over again.

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Most of the following UK celebrity speakers, presenters and television personalities are available for dinners, personal appearances, ads and conferences in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales - and indeed, worldwide. Some celebs will also host awards ceremonies and presentations.

There are many ways in which you can send your marketing messages to your target audience, but it pays to know where they are. A well documented study showed that over 90% or the general population (aka your customers) listen to the radio every week and most of them do so every day.

I was listening to radio 2 the other day time on BBC radio and I heard the news. I was seriously impressed with how clear the newsreaders have been speaking. Whenever, I attempt to speak for the microphone or even just leave a message on my telephone, I sound all weird! Traditional businesses rely on phone contact for building relationships. In today’s busy world you need to know how to use voice mail as an effective business tool. Some of the ideal inside the business within the voiceover arena consist of Bill Buckley and some of that crowd. You could think the radio announcers you listen to on the every day basis are wonderful at what is referred to as the “Ad Lib” within the small business.

Most of them aren’t. What these are is professional, creative, funny and most importantly prepared. Quite a few major morning shows have specialized writers who are behind the scenes feeding material on the “on air talent” as the display progresses. People spend hours researching current events and planning what are going to be included while in the every day indicate.I communicate with my agents via text exclusively but most of my clients still prefer the phone initially. I find that after the client is comfortable and realized that I text as well then they send more texts than calls typically.That’s since, frankly, I will not usually get it really difficult to obtain return calls from the voice mail messages I leave. Not even from complete strangers, renowned authors, top-level executives, etc.

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Bear in mind that 90 percent of voice-over posts visit everyday voices. Actors will make a ton of cash in an hour that will take them perhaps a month in an exceedingly movie. Recording sessions are sometimes short and you’ll make thousands of dollars if you book a national business or a dubbing gig that pays residuals.

1st, let’s look at the different voice-over vacancies that are out there out there:
{

• Industrial Voice Over Jobs - Business voice-over jobs include radio spots but also voice-overs for on-camera commercials that run on TV and movie screens. Most on-camera commercials use voiceovers at some point in the spot, so if you have got a sensible industrial voice, there’s lots of voice over work on the market in this area.
• TV and Movie Voice Over Jobs - You’ll be able to book a promo voice over or a narration voice over in a very film or TV series, but there’s also masses of voice acting work in looping. Looping may be a method that takes place throughout the sound combine once a movie or TV show has been shot. It is a little bit like doing extras acting for sound. Actors produce conversations that are then used as background sound to form films a lot of realistic. Unlike extras acting, though, looping on union films pay residuals (and those residuals add up over the years!).
• Dubbing Voice-over jobs - These jobs are available when foreign films are dubbed into English, especially for DVD releases. Since foreign movies still get a restricted release in America, this is not a large market. Bear in mind, though, that almost all dubbing is finished in the country where the film will be released.

}
This tip may help you to be told some fascinating techniques to get some voice-over jobs

• Involve your friends and family. This is the right chance to indicate your friends and family what you have been up to with all of your voice over coaching and fancy equipment! Get a laugh or 2 out of recording their sample voiceovers and enjoying them back. Possibilities are they can support your arduous work even additional now that they see how tough it is. Later, they can understand when you say you wish to travel to “work,” and just walk down to the basement!
• Voiceovers: the gift that keeps on giving. Come up with inventive gifts to get you back in your home recording studio! Personalize it even additional by getting the entire family concerned, and I guarantee nobody will notice that it did not even price a dime. Take the chance to record some vacation favorites, as well as T’was the Night Before Christmas, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and A Christmas Carol.
• Set your goal, and work backwards. Use now management strategy daily to balance your vacation time, scale back stress, and keep well-rested.

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Akin to the concept of white space and minimalism in design, simplicity of brand representation is the right direction to go in order to increase your market share. Simple is better. Your company knows it, your brand should show it, and your customer is desperate for anything that makes his life easier.

Ironically, there are several definitions of simplicity. Simplicity can be defined as
being simple or uncompounded, the absence of pretense, the freedom from
difficulty or hardship, the lack of ornamentation, or the quality of being natural or
based on natural principles. Each one of these definitions holds the key to what
today’s consumer desires: a better way. Clearly, brands that embody simplicity are
more likely to hold a place of honor within the mind of the consumer because the
brand appears to humble itself in order to communicate a larger message to the
consumer rather than merely putting itself on a pedestal.

Simplicity should reveal itself through a few different sources. A brand’s name,
personality, identity, themeline, and appearance are all capable of exuding the
peace of mind of simplicity. At times it can be as subtle as the well-organized color
palette on a website or the clean outside of a building that can make the difference
to the consumer.

In a technologically advanced, fast-paced, and complex market place, simplicity
would appear to be anything but the answer we seek for our brands, which is
exactly why the opportunity is wide open. Gifts, gadgets, and special offerings are a
dime a dozen, and more often than not, the customer is looking to avoid any extra
“junk” at the point of decision. Consumer decisions are comparable to checking
email. You look for what you know and what you trust to be true before even
considering “the others.”

Simplicity has become as apparent in research responses as other brand elements
such as control, options, and even price. There is not one industry in the market
that cannot use simplicity to its advantage. For example, Stealing Share completed
brand work for a large utility company who needed to find a more specific brand
focus. While we conducted behavior modeling within the company and quantitative
market research in the field, we discovered how crucial of a role simplicity played in
this utility market. In this particular case, the brand needed to ensure the customer
that he would “never run out” and that he could be secure in the fact that the
company would make the process easy and painless. Certainly there were price
issues and a few other market trends that were addressed, but one of the main
principles this company was missing in its strategy was simplicity.

One of the pitfalls with associating brand with the “simple is better” mentality is the
common error of companies misinterpreting simple as staple. For example,
simplicity is also becoming more and more prevalent in the banking industry as
banking quickly becomes more and more of a retail domain. Banks often view
simplicity as convenience. While convenience is an important aspect of banking (i.e.
ATMs, drive thru tellers, many branches…etc), convenience is expected of any bank
anywhere. What is not expected from the consumer is the strength of the brand
itself. If the brand represents the simplicity they value, the table stakes of ATMS and
branches fade away, and the bank has a customer for life. Furthermore, many
customers are at risk of switching financial institutions due to unnecessary
complexities in process and identity.

What can be done to simplify your brand? The first step is a deep, dispassionate
analysis of your brand as it currently exists. What does it mean to the customer? Is it
difficult for them to use or understand? These are questions for upper management
and executives to consider as they look to grow their companies and increase
market share. In short, the first step is to look in the mirror and identify what stands
in the way of efficacy. Any obstacle observed internally will surely be magnified by
the outside consumer because they do not possess the same knowledge of your
business. Assume nothing about your customers until you make the honest effort to
understand them. It is within the belief systems of the customer that your brand will
find the opportunity to simplify your brand. The first step could be as easy as
changing an acronym.

Once your brand recognizes what it needs to do in order to make it more
approachable for the consumer, you need to make sure you can generalize this
process to your entire brand execution. For example, if you are a consumer product,
you need to be sure your display, brand name, themeline, website, and marketing
materials all work to provide a better avenue for your target audience. Like most
marketing communication endeavors, this is easier said than done, but before the
physical changes can be made to your product and to your brand, you must be sure
you have the right perspective, the perspective of the customer.

Molly Sunderdick
Brand Strategist Stealing Share, Inc.

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1. Their guarantee. Only work with designers that stand 100% behind their work.

This is an easy way to identify if the designer is an expert and a reputable

artist - ask how he/she stands behind the work and service.

2. Their current portfolio - Does their portfolio have the quality of work that

you want and expect?

3. Past testimonials - What have past clients said about them?

4. Their willingness to educate you and your staff - Will the designer take

the time to work with you and your staff, and provide top-notch support and

service?

5. The value-added services they can offer (we offer content editing, custom

and stock photography, video services, photo editing, as well as assistance

in marketing/advertising) - If you might need these additional services you

may have to pay extra for them if the designer can’t offer them to you.

6. Their ability and willingness to research your business, your objectives

and your prospects - Without thoroughly knowing you and your business a designer

is not going to be able to design projects that will generate revenue and results.

7. Their background in business, marketing or advertising - if your goal is

to bring in revenue from your investment, it’s crucial that the image firm has

a foundation in business marketing and advertising. This one is critical! If

your goal is to bring in revenue and results, you’ll need a designer that firmly

understands your market and how best to reach them. You’ll only want to work

with business savvy designers who know how to weave proven marketing strategies

into your projects. Ask the designer what expertise they have in marketing and

advertising?

8. How they evaluate the success of your project. Many designers feel they’ve

done an adequate job by just creating something that they feel looks cool or

neat. Your goal will probably go beyond looking cool into gaining market share,

boosting revenue, more brand awareness, etc. Make sure the designers evaluation

of your project’s success is the same as yours. After all, design that doesn’t

bring in any results or revenue is just art - and unless you sell art, it won’t

make you any money.

9. Their demeanor towards you and their other clients - The designer should

function as your marketing and design department, so you’ll end up working closely

with him/her. Do you feel the designer has a good attitude towards you and your

business?

10. Value - notice value is listed here and not price. Smart business owners

know that value rather than price should dictate what decisions she/he makes.

Do you feel you will get results and a good value from working with the designer?

Do you feel you’ll get more than your investment back from working with the

designer?

Jeremy runs the only business savvy graphic design firm who helps companies build more confidence and credibility into their business identities. “I help you take your business’ vision and shape it into a company identity that will make you look better, feel better and have more confidence about your business.”
Like the article?

Email Jeremy today at comments@candographics.com for your choice of a free insider’s bulletin:

“How to Choose the Right Marketing/Design Firm for You” or “Top Ten Questions Designers Don’t Want You to Ask Them”.

You’ll also want to check out the “Can-Do Confidence Builder”. Emailed weekly, the Confidence Builder provides you with essential marketing and design insights that help you get the most out of your marketing/design investments and help you to stay one step ahead of the competition.

Remember to include in your email your name, which Insider Bulletin you would like to receive and any additional feedback.

Learn more about Jeremy and how you can gain a competitive advantage with a better brand by visiting http://www.candographics.com.

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Most people who own a small business have a huge passion and talent for the product or service they provide. Some people have a business degree. Some even have MBA’s or PhD’s. But, most who own their own business just have a passion for what they do.

So, they try to make a difference…and a profit.

But, running your own business is very hard. We all hear the statistics…one in five don’t make it, every third small business fails, one out of two flop and on and on and on. Plus, small business owners have to wear a lot of hats: sales person, marketing manager, accountant, janitor, customer service representative, human resource department, etc…

You name it, small business owners do it.

The learning curve is great. And business owners make many mistakes. Some mistakes are just part of the growing process, while other mistakes may cost only a few bucks or thousands of dollars. But one mistake I am about to describe can be the MOST expensive mistake you can make in running a small business.

What’s the mistake?

It is the very simple, but VERY costly mistake of having your logo, stationery, brochures, web site and all other marketing materials for your small business look cheap, poorly designed, thrown together and unprofessional.

Every single week, I see a multitude of small business owners who are making this very mistake. They just don’t get it. They don’t realize the cost of this mistake. They don’t realize how much damage they are doing to their business and brand by using these unprofessional and poorly designed marketing materials. Essentially, what they are doing is creating a sub-par first impression that is burned into the mind of new prospects forever.

The old adage is true…you never get a second chance to make a first impression. In running a small business, you cannot afford to look thrown together, cheap and unprofessional.

Why is this mistake so costly? Simple. It’s because most small businesses look alike. Most look cheap. Most look unprofessional. In an effort to “save money”, most just throw their marketing materials together or hire the cheapest person they can find to design them. Because of this, they don’t stand out from the crowd. They don’t look like the experts they are and they don’t attract clients, which is precisely why this mistake is so costly.

Is this how you look? Is this what you do? Is this what you have done? If you have, you have made a HUGE mistake. You must stand out from the crowd. You must be different. You must look different. You must show the world that you care enough to invest in professionally designed marketing materials.

If you don’t stand out, if you don’t look professional, if you look cheap, amateurish and thrown together, a few things will happen. Prospects will pass on your products or services and go to your competitors. You will not earn the price you are worth. You will not be trusted as the very best in your field. Prospects will view and judge you as someone you are not. You will have a very hard time building your reputation. Most importantly, you will lose money. Period.

The only way to stand out in the highly competitive marketplace and correct this mistake is by having a professional, reputable design firm create and produce all of your marketing materials. Having these materials professionally created is an investment, NOT an expense. Professionally designed materials will brand you as the expert you are, attract clients to your business and position your business over your competition.

Don’t make the same mistake so many other small business owners make. Hire a professional design firm. Do it right the first time. By having a professional image you will be light years ahead of your competition. You will stand out from your competition and project the image of your expertise. This worthwhile investment will net a valuable return over the life of your small business.

Jeanna Pool is President of CATALYST creative, inc., an award-winning graphic
design, web design and marketing firm located in Denver, Colorado. She helps small
business owners who are really good at what they do, but struggle to market their
services effectively to attract more clients on a consistent basis. She can be
contacted at http://www.catalystcreativeinc.com or call 303.380.9100.

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You’d have to labor to shield yourself from the power of Branding; it’s hard to
avoid it in today’s business and social climate. Even in the backwoods of very,
very small-town America, you couldn’t emancipate yourself from the in-your-
face concepts of Branding messages from all over the world. Even in
conversations that don’t discuss it (and those are becoming few and far
between), Branding is present. On television, in the supermarket, at the movie
theater, in your car, Branding is constantly with you. If you’re in business-any
business-you are involved in Branding in some way. If you are a sole
proprietor, you may, yourself, be a brand.

It is no longer enough to simply be the best-or even the best-selling-product
on the market. It has become necessary to establish a brand identity, which can
lead to additional products, deeper market share, and expanded consumer
loyalty.

As Cable Neuhaus, editor in chief of Folio magazine, says: “Branding is so
paramount. A car to many, many people is an extension of themselves. It’s an
extension of the way they see themselves. Relatively few people go down to the
dealership that’s closest to their home and say, ‘What can I get for $22,500?’
That’s not the way people buy cars for the most part, and that’s the reason the
car companies spend billions of dollars worldwide, in all likelihood, on the
Branding enterprise. GM just fired the guy who’s in charge of Branding because
they feel he wasn’t very successful there. They have a succession of car lines
and you can move up the lines: Chevy, Pontiac, Buick, Cadillac. There isn’t all
that much difference between a Buick and a Pontiac; they’re usually built on the
same frame. The difference is how they market themselves to the audience.
Pontiac is ‘We build excitement.’ Buick is ‘American luxury.’” In the world of
public relations, where I work to brand some of today’s hottest stars, it’s
virtually impossible to avoid talking about Branding.

Working in Hollywood for
20 years, I’ve never heard the kind of buzz around a concept that I’ve
experienced with Branding. Everyone is looking for the key to the concept;
everyone is saying the word, although most have misconceptions about its
meaning.

The problem is, only the select few people know what Branding really is. And
even fewer understand the essential role public relations plays in the Branding
process. As Duane E. Knapp, president of BrandStrategy, Inc. and author of The
Branding Mindset, says: “Most people do not have a clue what brand means.
The common misconception is that brand is hype. They have this concept that
one of the ways to be a successful brand is that you’ve got to hype the brand,
you’ve got to have a lot of activity, a lot of communications, a lot of
advertising, which is the antithesis of the true concept of brand. I think [PR] is
the most important role. The company should decide what their promise is. If
you don’t have a brand promise, you have nothing, and it’s not the advertising
tagline. It’s what the employees and the company promise to consumers. It’s
not a promise unless it’s written, unless every single employee in the company
can tell you what they have to do to deliver that promise. They might not be
able to recite the exact two or three sentences, but for example, at L.L. Bean,
they know that there is no such thing as an unhappy customer.”

“I think (public relations) is a massively important, and even more massively
under-leveraged, role in the Branding process. I don’t think people fully
understand the value of setting up an interview with a major magazine or
somebody else endorsing your brand. 3M talks about how you perceive your
brand in three different ways: one, ‘customer satisfaction,’ two, ‘would you buy
the brand again,’ and three, ‘would you recommend it to a friend.’ I look at PR
as an analog to ‘would you recommend it as a friend.’ “

-Scott M. Davis, managing partner of PROPHET’s Chicago office and co-author
of Brand Asset Management

It’s impossible to look at Branding without the public relations perspective,
and my business happens to be public relations. In doing business with high-
profile celebrities from Barbara Streisand to Fleetwood Mac, Demi Moore to
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Charlton Heston to Michael J. Fox, and corporate clients
like Pizza Hut, I deal with concepts like advertising, marketing, market
research, and sponsorship. Public relations is part of all those disciplines. And
since public relations is, we’ll discover, an integral part of the Branding
process, I have a unique perspective on the business of Branding. I work with
people who create and perpetuate some of the most successful brand names
and brand identities. I’ve worked with the highest-level actors, actresses,
entertainers, directors, and Hollywood insiders, all of whom strive to become
brands and some of whom have done exactly that with unparalleled success.

I know the advertising executives and marketing professionals who create
brands, and I know the editors, producers, studio executives, and television
moguls who present them to the public. In fact, you’ll read about their
experiences and hear their opinions throughout this book. They’ll help me to
explain why some things work and others don’t. It’s not alchemy; it’s not
voodoo. There may be magic involved, but magic is usually the product of
intense drudgery, endless practice sessions, and just a touch of inspiration.
Branding isn’t the wave of a magic wand; it is a discipline that can be taught
and learned. It can be practiced and examined, discussed and analyzed. The
better it is understood, the more successfully it will be utilized.

There will also be a total Branding experience: the creation of a fictional brand
of ice cream that we’ll see grow from an idea into a full, mature brand through
the best use of public relations practices. The concept of the product, the
name, the presentation, and the advertising and marketing will all be
influenced and shaped by the uses of public relations. The brand win emerge
through its promise to the public, and through the way that promise is
communicated and reinforced. That is pure public relations.

The journey we’re about to take will be a fascinating one. We’ll examine
brands that are practically sacred in many households, and discover how they
got that way. We’ll look at the most inspired choices and biggest Branding
mistakes ever made. And through it all, we’ll keep an eye on what you can do
to use public relations techniques to help create that once-in-a-lifetime brand.

Michael Levine is the founder of the prominent public relations firm Levine
Communications Office, based in Los Angeles. He is the author of Guerrilla PR,
7 Life Lessons from Noah’s Ark: How to Survive a Flood in Your Own Life.

GuerrillaPR.net is a resource for people that want to get famous in the media,
without going broke. http://GuerrillaPR.net

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Size matters. Or, at least, that is what the big players like to think. Here in Ireland, we have been more aware than most that size is relative. More than most too, we have taken sides when the little streets have hurled themselves against the great. Unlike the Swiss, we don’t do neutral terribly well. Almost always, our sympathies are with the small player, the one who is outweighed and outgunned, and we take more than a little pleasure at the prospect of seeing the lumbering giant brought to earth with a crash. But such an outcome is by no means inevitable. The playing field is littered with the bodies of the diminutive and the gallant and for
every David who stands triumphant over a fallen Goliath, there are dozens more who lie beaten and crushed in the wake of a rampaging giant.

In the Irish context, Jacob Fruitfield is one of the big players. With sales
projected to hit €110 million in 2005, and a number of Ireland’s best-known food
brands on its books, the company enjoys an enviable position in the Irish market.
Enter Goliath or a very close relative of his. But in the global context, the company is
a small player. Each of its brands compete with brands owned and championed by
the largest food companies in the world. These leviathans can dig into pockets a
hundred times deeper than those of a local company. Their scale is difficult to
imagine. When Heinz or Unilever or Proctor & Gamble lumber into view, they block
out the sun. Enter David. Or Chef or Silvermints or Jacob’s Fig Rolls.

So how does a big fish in a small pond, fished by giants, go about its business
and what lessons might we learn if we wish to take on the big players? Recently, I
met with Michael Carey, Chief Executive and majority shareholder of the stand-
alone, wholly Irish-owned Jacob Fruitfield food business. Three years ago, the
Jacobs and Fruitfield companies in Ireland were owned by multinational
corporations, with the Fruitfield business losing money for its owners. Since then,
Michael and his partners have integrated the two companies, invested in their
brands, launched over a hundred new products and taken on the global giants. The
company is turning a profit and has recently won the Ernst & Young Industry
Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2005.

For Michael, whose background includes senior management roles with a
number of global food companies such as Kellogg’s and Groupe Danone, the
approach was simple, “As a small company, our competitive advantages are in being
local, flexible and right for the local market. For Heinz or McVities, their advantage
lies in being the lowest cost producer, about being a big, big player, about having
brands that can work in lots of markets in the same way.”

Whilst these brands can work across many territories, Michael has also seen the
difficulties of applying global marketing strategies in a local market. “We can do
things with a brand that is absolutely right for the Irish market. Our competitors,
pretty much all of them, have to do things with their brands that are right for
international markets. We can look at the Irish market and see what’s working and
what doesn’t work.”

But isn’t this approach also available to the multinational owner, who can simply
work on some variation of a theme beloved of the big players: Think Global, Act
Local? For Michael, it is very much a question of priority. Put simply, the big players
are too easily distracted. “They have bigger fish to fry. We don’t. This is all the fish
we have. So we give it the focus and we invest in the brands.” This approach
extends to new product development where Irish companies have traditionally been
the poorer relations of their international cousins. The company has recently
completed the acquisition of The Real Irish Food Company and plans to step up its
innovation activity. It has also signed a 20-year brand licence for the use of the
Bewley’s brand in food outlets, another great old Irish brand adding to a growing
local portfolio.

So what exactly does it mean to act local? “It’s not about putting up an Irish flag
over the packaging and saying ‘These are Irish brands’. We have to compete with the
international brands. Chef has to be as credible as Heinz, Silvermints as Polo. We
very rarely make reference to the fact that these brands are Irish in terms of
advertising. We don’t apologetically present ourselves as an Irish brand in that
sense. It’s about being closer to and more clearly understanding the needs of the
Irish consumer. And, of course, we have heritage. Lots of the multinationals invent
that heritage and we don’t because we have got real heritage.”

But aren’t consumers, particularly teenagers, looking for brands that are
international? “No, there are obviously some very powerful multinational brands that
appeal in that way. But customers in the food business seek out realness and
localness and some understanding in terms of where the brand comes from, where
the product is made whether that is in a factory or a bakery or a place they can
trust. I think local brands in food have a bright future.”

Mention Steve Silvermint or ask how Jacob’s put the figs into the figrolls and
you will bring a smile to the face of the average Irish customer (or, at least, one of a
certain age). Is there a conflict between being a business or a brand with heritage
and being innovative? “No, we enjoy having a strong starting position. Take, for
example, some of the more traditional Fruitfield brands, Little Chip and Old-time
Irish marmalade; these are long-established brands in sectors that are pretty
mature. We want to take that strength of maturity, that stability and move that
brand on from that platform.

We’re just about to launch a range of premium jams and marmalades under the
Fruitfield brand with a higher fruit content and a more premium position. But we
couldn’t do that if we didn’t have the Fruitfield base to start from. If we were starting
from scratch, the chances of successfully launching brands in areas where we see
opportunities would be nil. You couldn’t do it without a name.

We’re helped by the fact that we have so many brands with a strong heritage. Of
course, we also have to make sure that we don’t undermine the position of the
brand. We might get some short-term sales but if it’s going to do damage to the
core brand, we won’t do it.”

For Jacob Fruitfield then, a local David taking on the multinational Goliaths,
success in the Irish market comes down to keeping it fresh, keeping it real and
playing to your strengths. In that sense, and in this neighbourhood, it’s clear that
size really does matter.

Gerard Tannam is the founding Director Islandbridge Brand Development, an
independent business based in Dublin, Ireland, which delivers brand direction,
planning and communications.

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It’s very upsetting to find someone using your business name, or one that is “confusingly similar.” If you’ve taken legal steps to protect your name, you are in a much better position to protect your interests.

* If you are successful, you will be copied.

I learned this lesson the hard way. When my business partner and I started Tables to Teapots (a retail store in Acton, MA), we had no idea how successful we would be. After several years of hard work, a TV feature on Chronicle and a story in Inc. Magazine, our business was booming. Then one day, a customer came in and said, “I didn’t know you’d opened up in New Hampshire.” Well, we hadn’t opened up in NH. But, an enterprising copycat had opened a store and called it NH-Tables to Teapots.

We were lucky. While we had the rights clearly established in Massachusetts, we had not filed a federal Trademark protecting the name in other states. By taking an aggressive position, I was able to convince the NH copycat to change the name of his business.

Legally, our “rights” to the name attach from the time we used it in commerce. However, we would have been on stronger footing if we had registered the Trademark.

Trademark/Service Mark Registration

Any word, phrase, name, symbol, sound … that identifies or distinguishes your product or service from those made or sold by others, is eligible for Trademark Protection. (Trademark applies to products; Service mark applies to services.)

Check to Confirm that Your Name is Available.

Before you invest in applying for a Trade/Service mark, it’s important to search and see if anyone else is claiming the name or similar name. You can search online for the Internet domain name (www.networksolutions.com). You can also search on the Web site of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (www.uspto.gov). These searches do not guarantee that the name is not in use, but they are a good indication of availability.

Steps to Protect Your Name

1. Reserve the Internet Domain name.

2. Use TM or SM symbols.

Put the Trademark (TM) or Service mark (SM) symbol on your materials. This puts the world on notice that you are claiming the mark.

3. Register in your State.

In Massachusetts, the filing fee is $50 and lasts 10 years.

4. Register in the US.

The Federal filing fee is $375 and once approved you can use the ® (stands for registered mark), and the protection lasts so long as the mark is used in commerce.

5. Register Internationally.

International registration has become much easier with the Madrid Protocol (effective November 2003), which allows a mark to be protected in several countries by filing a single application.

In conclusion, if your business name, tagline or brand is important to your business, then it makes sense to take steps to legally protect it.

Jean Sifleet is a practical and experienced business attorney whose career spans many years in large multi-national corporations and includes three successful entrepreneurial ventures. Jean has extensive experience in dealing with intellectual property matters in the large and small companies and as a small business owner. She has authored numerous books and publications on avoiding legal pitfalls in doing business. This article is excerpted from her new book, Advantage IP – Profit from Your Great Ideas (Infinity 2005). For more information, Jean’s website is http://www.smartfast.com

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