The Sunday Mail
Cresencia Marjorie Chiremba
“Real happiness is cheap enough, yet how dearly we pay for its counterfeit” – Hosea Ballou
Counterfeiting has become a serious worldwide problem and some brands that have fallen victim to this scourge seem to be struggling to flourish.
However, it is not all gloomy if governments, companies and customers all come together and fight this cancer as allies.
The end user must know that cheap is expensive because at the end of the day if it fails to perform according to expectations then the customer will have nowhere to report and get compensated but rather they will lose on the money as well as on the product.
Here are some of the ways to take control and save legitimate business people from counterfeit drowning.
1) Tracking counterfeit
Organisations can install software that are able to monitor brands and detect fake versions. Artificial intelligence that can compare prices is also necessary for this fight.
False advertising is used in counterfeit brands; thus, companies must monitor points of promotion because they are promoted outside the normal distribution channels. It is, therefore, important to track traffic to these platforms that sell counterfeit products.
These sites can be reported to the relevant authorities and taken down the internet platforms.
2) Government Awareness Campaigns
Governments can run awareness campaigns to educate the customers on the dangers of using counterfeit products.
This is because when legit businesses lose out on sales the government will also lose out on revenue in the form of taxes.
Thus, the government must partner with registered companies and run operations that crackdown on counterfeits. They can even enact legislation that makes it a criminal offence to sell or own counterfeit products.
3) Customer Education
If companies want to win the counterfeit war, they must include their customers as partners.
Besides working with the government on a more general scale, organisations can individually focus on educating their direct customers. It is key for companies to run campaigns that educate their target customers on the negative effects of buying and using counterfeit brands.
Customers who are educated are able to distinguish between fake from original. If they buy the product from an authorised dealer in the event of a problem they can get a proper redress.
Companies can also set up tollfree lines that customers can use and act as whistleblowers to report any suspicious products on the market as well as those selling them.
They must also offer rewards to those who supply them with information on where counterfeit brands are manufactured and distributed.
4) Blockchain Solutions
Block chain solution is a system of recording information in a way that makes it difficult or impossible to change, hack or cheat the system.
This system helps customers to get the real original quality of the brand they are buying. Most companies that have suffered the effects of counterfeit are now partnering with technology firms in order to enhance their brands protection.
Some local artists have managed to put software on their musical compact discs such that unauthorised people are not able to reproduce the music and sell it at a cheaper price.
5) Trademark Registering
In order to protect a brand-name product, companies must register their trademark. In Zimbabwe the trademark can be strengthened by also registering with the Standards Association of Zimbabwe (SAZ).
For products to get a SAZ seal they undergo a rigorous quality control process hence, they are perceived to be original and have better quality.
Customers must therefore be urged to buy products that are iso certified or those that have a SAZ seal because they would have gone through all the necessary due processes.
6) Trade Secrets
It is said a good cook does not reveal their secrets so must legitimate manufacturers. Coca-cola is one company that has mastered the art of keeping trade secrets.
Although companies can trade mark their brands and have quality seals and international certifications, they can also further protect these brands by not revealing all the information of their manufacturing process or sales process. Instead, they must keep information in silos and restricted, that way imitators will be left with no chance to copy.
*Cresencia Marjorie Chiremba is a marketing enthusiast with a strong passion for customer service. For comments, suggestions and training, she can be reached on [email protected] or on 0712 979 461, 0719 978 335
