STANDSTILL agencies create their brand
STANDOUT agencies protect their IP
In a crowded, competitive and commoditised market one of ways of effectively standing out is through branding. The agency sector is no different.
STANDSTILL agencies often spend a lot of time branding their own businesses. They create names, slogans, colours, logos and other brand identifiers that they hope will uniquely identify them.
Whilst experience tells me its often a time-consuming and frustrating process, investing in your agency branding is something I always recommend. But I was reminded last week of a potential pitfall in the process. So many of us are guilty of this.
We spend a great deal of time creating our brands, but then give very little thought to protecting them.
Last week a friend of mine revealed his business is facing a legal challenge from another agency over his agency name and branding. Completely out of the blue, this could prove time-consuming, costly, and a very unwelcome distraction to what is otherwise a thriving business.
There is a lesson here for us all. Brands are Intellectual Property (IP) and often one of the few assets an agency really has. Not only do they need creating and crafting, like all IP, they also need protecting.
STANDOUT agencies use trademarks to protect their brand and IP. Your logo and other brand identifiers should be registered as trademarks. If you tweak them you should register new trademarks. If in doubt, consult an intellectual property lawyer.
Branding is a key way of differentiating your agency. Agencies spend lots of time talking about their brands, but they rarely protect them. Make sure you protect your IP, your brand and your business.
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