brandannual 2019

Brands
Fotos: Renate Altenhofer
Foto: Kellogg Graduate School of Management
Bobby J. Calder
is the Kellstadt Professor of Marketing at the
Kellogg Graduate School of Management,
Northwestern University, Evanston, IL USA.
are thus inherently brands. The two
requirements of the TRIPS Agreement
clearly call for an association
of origin with a given quality,
reputation or another characteristic.
The sign tagging a sui generis
GI and the trademark used by a collective
or a certification GI are all
intended to trigger a positive association
that contributes to the value of
a brand. Although traditionally GIs
have been regarded as important
as a way of protecting the rights of
holders against unfair or deceptive
competition, recognizing that GIs
are inherently brands adds another
dimension to GIs. GIs brands are
important because they add value
in at least three interrelated ways.
• LOCALITY.
In an economic environment in
which the prevalence of brands
marketed globally is increasing,
GI brands are distinctive.
They do not have the same
look-alike, find-anywhere quality
characteristic of so many
global brands.
• AUTHENTICITY.
Consumers are increasingly
skeptical of advertising and
exaggerated marketing claims.
GI brands offer goods that are
more trustworthy in that they
have the authenticity of place.
• SUSTAINABILITY.
GI brands carry a sense of
social purpose. The consumer
is not only buying a product
but supporting something
worthwhile in terms of the
values the product embodies
(e.g. the precision of Swiss
watch making). GI brands also
often support the economic
development of some worthy
group of people (e.g., Columbian
coffee growers). Moreover,
GI brands can sustain traditional
knowledge and cultural
expressions that might otherwise
be lost.
Investments are, of course, necessary
for GI brands to achieve their
potential value. GI brands require
the financial support of branding
activities, as does any other kind
of branding. In order to make such
investments in a fiscally sound
way, it is necessary for any organization
to evaluate GI brands in
order to determine if such investments
are creating proportionate
increases in brand value. 2
Approaching GIs in this way
holds the promise of fully realizing
their potential, not just for asset
protection, but for asset growth
through realizing the locality,
authenticity, sustainability value
of GI brands.
1
Calder, Bobby (2019), “Connecting Marketing and Finance via Brand Value,” In A. Tybout and T. Calkins (eds), Branding in a Hyper-connected World, Wiley.
The Business and Investment Magazine brandannual 109