The lack of awareness of the development of independent brands in small enterprises is becoming a major bottleneck restricting the leapfrog development of regional industries. Why do small businesses generally lack awareness of independent brand development? I think there are three main reasons:

First, small business operators are deeply influenced by the traditional ideas of small farmer economy. Affected by the traditional small-scale farmer economic consciousness, many leaders of small businesses are easily satisfied with the status quo, muddle along, do not think about progress, and do not seek development. They have strong ideological concepts that a small amount of wealth means peace and a small amount of wealth means contentment. The implementation of brand strategy requires long-term investment of energy and financial resources, which may not necessarily be effective in the short term. Many small businesses are eager for quick success and quick profits, only focus on short-term interests, lack a long-term vision, and have no awareness of developing their own brands.

Second, small businesses lack confidence in developing their own brands. Due to their small scale, weak strength, and lack of confidence, small businesses are prone to an inferiority complex. They often think that their own brands are out of reach and are only something that large companies can consider. Some small businesses believe that this is just the initial stage and they will consider applying for a registered trademark after they have completed capital accumulation. Some companies are afraid of difficulties and complexity, and think that they can handle brand processing for others, don't use your brain, just work hard, and are willing to use other people's trademarks.

Third, small businesses lack the ability to develop their own brands. In the investigation of the Jiangdu sporting goods industry, we found that some business operators have a strong trademark awareness. Some companies have registered three or four trademarks, but due to lack of knowledge and experience in brand management, they have not registered the trademarks in the industry. It was launched in the market, but in the end it could only be shelved and returned to the old path. Some companies' brand promotion efforts are obviously insufficient. For example, a company in Jiangdu invited world champion Ge Fei as its image spokesperson. They only promoted it on product packaging. Other promotion methods such as TV advertisements did not keep up. The effect of brand promotion was not great. discount. In addition, from the perspective of financial strength, due to low profit margins and slow capital accumulation, many small businesses are really stretched in terms of operating funds. They do not have more funds and strength to invest in the research and development of new products, and they have more than they can afford.

The harm of small businesses lacking awareness of independent brand development is obvious. First of all, without awareness of independent brand development, small businesses will lack the ability to develop independently. Without independent intellectual property rights, enterprises place all their hopes on OEM manufacturers, resulting in production technology, production plans, sales channels, and product profits being controlled by others. Enterprises can only always be a wedding dress for others, which is extremely detrimental to the long-term development of the enterprise. . As a popular saying in the business world goes: third-rate companies sell hard work, second-rate companies sell products, first-class companies sell brands and technologies, and super-first-class companies sell patents and standards. Secondly, without awareness of independent brand development, small businesses will lack the ability to develop by leaps and bounds. Without its own brand, a company can only produce low-end products. Faced with repeated shuffles in the development of the industry, its market share will only become smaller and smaller, and the gap with other companies with independent brands will only become wider and wider. If it is too big, it will eventually be eliminated by the market. Thirdly, without awareness of independent brand development, small businesses will lack the ability to withstand risks. Without independent brands, small companies have no core competitiveness. Once the market is turbulent, companies will encounter a survival crisis and become the first batch of weaklings to fall in the crisis. Enterprises with independent intellectual property rights can survive and develop tenaciously in crises with the backing of core competitiveness brought by intellectual property rights. Therefore, if a small business wants to grow from small to large, from weak to strong, and achieve long-term development, it must aim at developing its own brand.

3. How small businesses can enhance their trademark awareness and develop their own brands

To change the current situation of small businesses with low awareness and lack of ability to develop their own brands, the author believes that we should start from two aspects: 1. On the one hand, small businesses themselves must strengthen their awareness of independent trademarks and cultivate their own brands; on the other hand, the government and its relevant departments must strengthen conceptual guidance for small businesses, increase policy support, and actively help small businesses develop their own brands.

(1) Strategies that small businesses should adopt themselves

1. Enhance confidence and determination and establish awareness of independent brand development. Small businesses cannot just be satisfied with short-term meager profits; they must have the ambition to become a large enterprise. It is necessary to overcome the inferiority complex, strengthen the confidence and determination that small businesses can develop and grow, fully realize the important role of creating independent trademarks in enterprise development, and have the awareness of developing independent trademarks from the beginning of development.

Looking at some well-known companies at home and abroad, they all started as small businesses at the beginning of their development. However, they firmly grasped the goal of their own brands, thus controlling their own destiny and developing into world-famous multinational companies. Japan's SONY company was just a small company that produced electronic transistors for others in the 1950s, but the company's founder, Akio Morita, believed that "we should have our own brand"! So SONY came into being. From the beginning of its naming, SONY has had a global perspective. Even in the most difficult times, they still adhere to the correct way of operating the brand, continue to innovate, inject new connotation and vitality into the brand, and finally create a world-class brand.

2. Formulate brand strategy and actively implement brand management strategy. Small businesses should actively create their own brands, apply for registered trademarks as early as possible, and formulate long-term brand development strategies. Although some small businesses can only survive by processing for other brands at the beginning, which is also a very realistic choice, small businesses can accumulate funds, learn technology, start to register their own trademarks, gradually develop their own brands, and open up opportunities for enterprise development. A new world. After having their own trademarks, small businesses must also learn how to use modern business concepts and marketing methods to develop their own brands. It is necessary to comprehensively use media advertising, customer communication, exhibition promotion and other methods to vigorously strengthen brand promotion efforts and continuously enhance the visibility of brand products. There is an example: before entering the mainland market, Taiwan's famous badminton racket brand "VICTOR" (VICTOR) "has not moved on the product, but the brand first". From the beginning, it sponsored various badminton events in the mainland and became the title sponsor of the event. At that time, VICTOR's products had not been seen on the mainland market. Today, VICTOR badminton rackets have entered the top three in mainland China's high-end market.