Copycat brands try to capture the goodwill of other brands by mimicking their trade dress and underlying meaning. Often, copycats do not even use the same trade dress but may copy the logo or theme of the original leader brand. Regardless of the trade dress used, copycat brands attempt to capture business and profits from the leader brand. Listed below are several common examples of copycat brands. Read on to learn more about them.
Copycat brands try to capture business from the goodwill in your brand
As a leader, it is very difficult to block out copycats and their noise. The first step is to align your product with the image of your brand and reinvent it continuously. While copycats have been seen in other industries, you need to focus on your brand to prevent them from infringing your brand’s goodwill. Make your product better than your competition and focus on staying ahead of them.
The second step is to identify the brands that are most similar to yours. Copycats may try to take advantage of your goodwill by copying your logo, colours, or name. You can also detect these brands by their logos and products’ packaging. It is advisable to take legal action against copycats. While copycats may break trademark laws, the goodwill associated with your brand is worth protecting.
They imitate the trade dress of other brands
Copycat brand imitation is common in the marketplace and is usually characterized by using the trade dress of an established leader. While this practice is not illegal, it is often more difficult to prosecute and consumers penalize these products for the same reason. Because consumers are generally aware of the practice, they view it as more acceptable and less unfair. Here are some examples of the types of copycat brands. Let’s explore each of them in turn and how we can protect our brands and our sectors from copycat products.
One form of copycat brand is one that copies the trade dress of another brand in order to gain advantage over its leading competitors. Whether it is a physical feature or a subtly subtle meaning, copycat brands aim to entice consumers by copying its trade dress. Although many studies show that consumers dislike these imitations, recent research indicates that the effect of copycat brands on competition is lower than that of differentiated brands.
They imitate the underlying meaning or theme of the leader brand
In this study, the authors of the paper investigated the effectiveness of copycat brands at capturing the equity of a leading brand. They found that copycat brands that imitate a leading brand’s theme or underlying meaning were more likely to be considered similar to it than those that did not imitate its theme. The findings have implications for both trademark law and marketing theory. These findings highlight the importance of understanding the mechanisms behind copycat brand creation.
The study found that consumers tended to favor copycat brands in categories where the leading brand was not present. This was largely because they were aware of the leading brand’s theme and were therefore less likely to consider the copycat brand as a competitor. In addition, the amplitude of LPCs in this condition was significantly lower than in the NN condition, suggesting that copycat brands might be perceived as unrecognisable new brands.
In this study, the researchers looked at two major Dutch supermarkets: Jumbo and Albert Heijn. The leading brand has the largest market share and is popular with everyday consumers. The normal competitor brands, on the other hand, directly compete with the leading brand. The supermarket’s generics brand is owned by the retailer. By focusing on everyday consumer goods, it was possible to determine the extent of copycatting.