Bankers Advertising

There are two observances in April that dovetail with one of my personal passions and a subject we’re dedicated to here at Bankers: copyright and intellectual property!

April 23 is the day designated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as World Book and Copyright Day. It was chosen because the date is near the birth or death of a multitude of significant authors, including the deaths of both William Shakespeare and Miguel de Cervantes in 1616 and the birth of Vladimir Nabokov in 1899. World Book and Copyright Day was established in 1995 to champion not just books but the copyright protections that guard writers and assure their fair compensation.

April 26 is World Intellectual Property Day, established in 2000 by the World Intellectual Property Organization to raise awareness of all manner of intellectual property (IP)—patents, copyright, trademarks, and designs—and to celebrate creativity and innovation. In 2019, World IP Day is focused on sports! Their Reach for Gold campaign explores everything from the way merchandising and licensing help offset the cost of massive world-wide sporting undertakings, such as the Olympics and the World Cup, to broadcasting rights and the ways in which fans engage.

Here at Bankers, we take intellectual property, including copyright, very seriously. Director of Business Development Joe Sheeley has an extensive background in licensing, and works closely with college and university clients, as well as working to develop new collegiate contacts, to make certain customers know how much we value their trademarks and how hard we will work to protect their IP.

Our order entry team is vigilant about questioning orders that may inadvertently violate copyright, including logos and taglines from smaller businesses that might veer a little too near established brands. And our larger corporate partners, from RE/MAX to Collins Aerospace, trust our attention to detail in ensuring that their brand standards are met.

Last, but not least… Our company program (online stores) team makes it their their job to ensure fool proof brand compliance through custom programmed Online StoreFronts that host company approved marketing tools for their brand ambassadors to easily order.

Copyright and IP are an integral part of the promotional products business. The ways that a company expresses itself, from slogans to fonts to Pantone colors, are key to its marketing strategy, and it’s our privilege to stand on the front lines of guarding that expression against theft and error. Bankers is proud to be a trusted partner to so many organizations that foreground their trademarks and brand standards. But we also pride ourselves on our dedication to protecting smaller businesses that are still ironing out the kinks or don’t know their options. It’s crucial for every business to be committed to protecting their own IP and respecting the IP of others—Bankers is glad to help!

Every marketer knows that consistent brand compliance is key to leveraging the equity of the brand. But when your company’s structure includes multiple layers such as departments, sister companies, franchisees, distributors, or dealers… all using, and possibly producing… marketing materials… things can get messy! How do you ensure your brand stewards are following your guidelines? Better yet… how do you achieve headache free brand compliance?

Here are some tips:

• Activate brand guidelines and circulate it company-wide. Provide your company representatives with marketing templates that address appropriate brand usage and common mistakes.* An FAQ is a great way to answer questions for the masses, and prevent an influx of calls or emails.
• Prevent the use of non-standard typefaces and colors by providing a brand-define pallet of colors and brand-approved (and properly licensed) set of brand fonts.*
• Require the use of brand-approved legal disclaimers and disclosure.
• Require the use of pre-approved (grammatically correct) content.

In short, a well-thought brand management program can help you to make true brand compliance the fastest, easiest way for your company representatives and brand stewards to get their promotions out the door. It makes marketing safe, reliable, and even fun—and could save you hundreds, even thousands, of hours per year.

We have been helping build brands through the use of promotional products for over 125 years. Our experts can strengthen, yet simplify your licensing and compliance programs in the following ways:

Protect

Our in-house brand manager is an expert in brand guidelines and trademark policies.

Partner

Your brand reflects your values, mission, products, services, team members and culture. Our goal is to work alongside you to become brand stewards so that the products we supply accurately represent your company. We strive to get to know you, your brand, and what you stand for.

Promote

We understand the time and effort it takes to fully evolve your brand. We provide promotional consulting, products and value-added services. When you make promotional products an integral part of your marketing, you can watch people grab onto your message.

We take your brand seriously and look forward to collaborating with you!

*source: Brand Compliance for Local Marketers | Pageflex | 4.5.19