The trademark protection of country brands: insights from New Zealand
Journal of Place Management and Development
ISSN: 1753-8335
Article publication date: 10 October 2008
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present the opportunities for and challenges of the trademark protection of country brands.
Design/methodology/approach
Insights into the challenges and possibilities of country brand trademark protection are identified using New Zealand as a case study. This evaluation is divided into four sections. In the first section, the relations and differences between brands and trademarks are discussed in the context of the country trademark. Then, possible sources of country trademarks are identified. Next, the benefits and challenges of creating and managing country trademarks are discussed based on the case of the New Zealand Fern Mark. The final section addresses the determiners of country trademark implementation and offers recommendations for country brand managers.
Findings
This study makes the case that a nation's heritage is a rich source of country trademarks. The selection of country trademarks must ensure that the chosen symbol conveys meaning and associations that serve a country's often broad range of offerings and resonate with a diversity of stakeholder audiences.
Practical implications
Governance structures need to be established to manage a country trademark to ensure the country brand's integrity. This includes a licensing system and protocols to prevent successive governments from altering the brand's essence which would destroy its equity built up over time.
Originality/value
This paper extends the concept of trademarks, once the domain of products and service brands, to the emerging field of place brand management.
Keywords
Citation
Florek, M. and Insch, A. (2008), "The trademark protection of country brands: insights from New Zealand", Journal of Place Management and Development, Vol. 1 No. 3, pp. 292-306. https://doi.org/10.1108/17538330810911271
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2008, Emerald Group Publishing Limited