http://www.trendsinbranding.com/tib2010/global/2010/02/22/how-local-is-local/ Are You a Branding Leader? Tue, 06 Jul 2010 16:47:52 +0000 hourly 1 http://www.trendsinbranding.com/tib2010/global/2010/02/22/how-local-is-local/comment-page-1/#comment-22 Angela Wilcox Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:37:35 +0000 http://www.trendsinbranding.com/?p=309#comment-22 This is a great piece on an interesting topic. It is difficult for a company to launch a new brand world-wide, and I routinely see companies adopt different trademarks in various regions to avoid local trademark issues or problems with negative cultural connotations. However, Pepsi has taken the opposite approach here by adopting cultural changes to their trademark AFTER securing a world-wide brand name. Pepsi is certainly not the first company to embrace an adaptation of their brand created by its customers. Even in the United States, you can find variances on companies’ master brands which have been adopted as trademarks by the brand owners, such as Mickey D's, KFC, FedEx and Amex. However, in addition to embracing these common adaptations of their trademarks, these companies have also retained their trademark rights in their master brands by continuing to use and maintain the original trademarks from which these derivations stem. While I appreciate the brand awareness of companies who are keyed into the local perception and use of their brands, as a trademark practitioner, I hope that Pepsi also continues to use and maintain its strong primary brand in these jurisdictions so that it does not risk loss of its PEPSI trademark rights in those countries. This is a great piece on an interesting topic. It is difficult for a company to launch a new brand world-wide, and I routinely see companies adopt different trademarks in various regions to avoid local trademark issues or problems with negative cultural connotations. However, Pepsi has taken the opposite approach here by adopting cultural changes to their trademark AFTER securing a world-wide brand name. Pepsi is certainly not the first company to embrace an adaptation of their brand created by its customers. Even in the United States, you can find variances on companies’ master brands which have been adopted as trademarks by the brand owners, such as Mickey D’s, KFC, FedEx and Amex. However, in addition to embracing these common adaptations of their trademarks, these companies have also retained their trademark rights in their master brands by continuing to use and maintain the original trademarks from which these derivations stem. While I appreciate the brand awareness of companies who are keyed into the local perception and use of their brands, as a trademark practitioner, I hope that Pepsi also continues to use and maintain its strong primary brand in these jurisdictions so that it does not risk loss of its PEPSI trademark rights in those countries.

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