In the current field of intellectual property, the two words we mention most frequently are "trademark" and "brand". So what is a trademark? What is a brand? What is the connection between the two?

In our usual understanding, "trademark" and "brand" are synonyms, both in narrow and broad senses. It's just that "trademark" is a strictly defined concept in law, while "brand" is a commonly used term in the market.

From its existence to the present, the function of trademarks has gone far beyond helping the public distinguish different goods or services, and has become one of the core assets of an enterprise. But owning a trademark does not actually mean owning a brand. A trademark is still a trademark after registration. Only when a trademark is given new and rich connotations and is well disseminated, so that it is truly accepted by consumers, can it become a brand and form a brand effect.

Trademark is an exclusive legal symbol, which will exist forever as long as the registered owner of the trademark does not cancel it and renew it in time; while brand is a symbol of interests, consisting of material interests and emotional interests. Only a trademark that makes customers think without thinking is a brand.

Therefore, what companies really need now is a brand, and the purpose of registering a trademark is to better build their own brand. So what is the significance of a real brand to an enterprise?

1. Generate brand premium

Consumers buy products firstly to satisfy their own physiological material needs, and secondly. The purpose is to satisfy their own psychological and emotional needs. The former emphasizes the material entity of the product itself, while the latter emphasizes the information attached to the material product. As product homogeneity has become a phenomenon in today's society, to a large extent, the performance of trademarks in meeting consumers' psychological and emotional needs directly determines the price of the product. For example, Nike sports shoes are basically produced by lower-cost manufacturers. However, if the shoes produced by these manufacturers do not bear the Nike trademark, a pair can only cost tens to hundreds of dollars. RMB, and once the well-known hook is printed on it, the price can increase many times. The difference in price is the premium value generated by the brand.

2. Enhance intangible value

In an agricultural society, the main form of wealth is land. People who occupy large amounts of land are undoubtedly the ones with the most wealth. After entering industrial society, wealth gradually transferred to the hands of capitalists who owned factories and mines. Today, what would we rather own? An acre of land, or a factory? An iron mine, or a new mining technology? Or, do we want to own a canned beverage factory, or the Coca-Cola trademark? Ownership of Coca-Cola?

We firmly believe that if you own the trademark of Coca-Cola, you will be well-off and wealthy. Because Coca-Cola is by far the most valuable brand in the world, the president of Coca-Cola has the confidence to say: If one day the Coca-Cola factory is reduced to ashes overnight, as long as the Coca-Cola brand remains, the next day banks around the world will There was a rush to line up a loan for Coca-Cola.

3. Promote business growth

Strong brands have a strong leverage effect, which can break through spatial barriers and enter new markets, and can also enter other fields through brand extension. Without violating the core values ??of their original brands, Germany's Siemens and my country's Wanda Group have extended their product structure from telephones to mobile phones, lighting products and household appliances; the latter has extended their industrial chain, including real estate. The industry has expanded to cinemas, entertainment industries, etc.

For any enterprise, use corporate brand strategy to establish a complete and orderly brand strategy platform to guide the development of new products or the development of new industries, accumulate brand assets, and integrate communication resources. , can form a strong competitive advantage and promote the sustainable development of enterprises.

4. Cultivate customer loyalty

Now when we buy goods, we all have a feeling, that is, when faced with unfamiliar products, we feel that we have no choice and it is difficult to start. .

Because consumers do not have exact relevant information about the quality of the product. In a market with uncertain quality, consumers tend to buy corresponding products from brands they are familiar with and recognized in order to reduce risks. Therefore, a real brand is not only a symbol of product quality, but also a kind of psychological and emotional sustenance for consumers.

To a certain extent, these consumers who are satisfied with the product have been bound to the brand and become loyal customers of the brand. Loyal customers will undoubtedly increase the company's revenue. The cost of attracting a new customer is 4 to 6 times higher than the cost of retaining an old customer. More importantly, loyal customers will be very happy to recommend the brand's products to their friends and are willing to accept the premium value of the product.

5. Build a strong competitive fortress

In the market, any kind of commercial success will attract countless imitators, and countless copycat products will impact the existing market. order. To a certain extent, technology, channels and business models can all be imitated, but only brand is the most powerful weapon that can truly block competitors. The most important element in building this kind of defense system is intellectual property rights, especially powerful patents and the core trademarks. By leveraging their combined strengths, companies can build a highly defensible competitive fortress.

The brand value of many well-known brands such as Chanel's perfume, Apple's electronic products, and Longines watches has far exceeded the actual functional needs of consumers to buy the product, and can bring spirituality to consumers. Great satisfaction, that is, the pleasure of self-realization. In the composition of this type of brand value, the added value far exceeds the physical value, and there is no inevitable causal connection between the two, and there is no need for the existence of physical value.

It can be seen that a strong brand is undoubtedly of extremely important significance to an enterprise.

However, as the core expression of the brand---trademark, we cannot overemphasize the term "brand" in marketing while ignoring the importance of the term "trademark" in legal concepts. . If the company's trademark is not confirmed and is not exclusive, the degree of development of the brand will be proportional to the risk coefficient it faces. The final result is likely to be a mess and make a wedding dress for others.

As a result, trademarks have become core assets valued by many enterprises and a concentrated carrier of market competition. A social atmosphere that respects and protects independent intellectual property rights has quietly formed. But for enterprises, the naming, registration, management, use, rights protection, and appreciation of trademarks; the market positioning of the brand, the determination of the brand model, the planning of brand extension, the integration of brand communication, and the final generation of the brand. This road is destined to not be smooth. The degree to which a company attaches importance to and protects its independent intellectual property rights, as well as its foresight in the field of intellectual property rights, will greatly affect the speed at which the company moves forward on this brand road. , and can even control its forward direction.

Through the above analysis, we can know that the gradual development of a corporate trademark is gradually nurturing a brand. When a company has its own trademark, it does not mean that the company has its own brand, but it means that the company's brand journey has just begun. As a step in building a corporate brand, trademark confirmation also has far-reaching significance for the company, because the company is not just registering a text or graphic trademark, but building a brand, which represents the life of the company and is The core and most valuable resource of an enterprise. Trademark registration