世界知识产权组织(WIPO):2013世界知识产权报告 | |
——品牌——全球市场上的声誉和形象 |
Brands are an important aspect of everyday life.
Consumers have strong preferences for which smart-
phones offer the best functionality, which airlines provide
the best service, which fashion accessories garner the
most attention from friends and colleagues. Brands
help consumers to exercise their preferences in the
marketplace. They come with a reputation for quality,
functionality, reliability and other attributes, ultimately
enabling consumers to exercise choice in their decision-
making. Equally important, they come with a certain
image – whether for luxury, trendiness or social respon-
sibility – which consumers care about, and which in turn
infuences which goods and services they purchase.
For companies, in turn, brands are valuable strategic as-
sets and a source of competitive advantage. Accordingly,
companies have gained rich experience in determining
how their branding choices affect their sales and profts.
A large volume of academic studies across a variety of
disciplines offer many insights into successful branding
practices. Numerous specialized consulting frms stand
ready to offer advice – whether on broad questions of
branding strategy or narrow questions of advertising ef-
fectiveness.
By comparison, evidence on the economy-wide im-
plications of branding is still limited. For example, how
much do companies invest in branding relative to other
tangible and intangible assets? In which ways are there
markets for brands? How do branding choices affect the
functioning of market competition? Do branding activities
affect the pace of product innovation?
For policymakers, it is important to understand the ways
in which branding activities interact with the broader
economy. Branding investments affect consumer welfare
and, in the long term, can infuence the rate of economic
growth. In addition, governments have some infuence on
the branding activities of companies – including through
the protection of trademarks. In order to promote con-
sumer choice and maintain vibrant competition in the
marketplace, governments need to assess the effective-
ness of existing policies and adapt them in light of the
evolving needs of the marketplace and new evidence on
the behavior of companies and individuals.
This Report endeavors to make an analytical contribution
in this respect. It does so in three ways. First, it sets the
scene by describing key trends and patterns of branding
activity across the globe. Second, it reviews the role of
trademarks – the form of intellectual property (IP) that pro-
tects the exclusivity of brands – and presents evidence
informing trademark policy choices. Finally, it explores
how branding activities affect market competition and
innovation, thus relating branding to broader company
strategies and industrial organization.