Whitepaper
Downlod PDF Version

The Measure of a Brand: The Online Challenge

Tackling a global challenge

It comes as no surprise that enterprises are falling short of the mark in policing brand usage online. Given the scope and complexities of the online world today, policing a brand is simply too monumental a task that is well beyond the scope of most in-house resources. While one can put in place process to automate Web searches and generate alerts to brand usage, these actions only scratch the surface.

To illustrate the scope of brand infractions on the Internet, BD-BrandProtect has identified four groups of Web-based threats, each of which contain multiple types of infractions. These are:

• Phishing (fraudulently acquiring sensitive information, such as usernames, passwords and credit card details, by masquerading as a legitimate business in an electronic communication)
• Brand-based (i.e. counterfeiting, trademark and copyright infractions)
• Domain-based (e.g. registering with a brand name you don’t own or other variations on the theme)
• Weblinking (broken links or links being diverted to such things as pornographic sites)

Common Internet branding infractions include:

• When a user clicks on a link with the client’s name or logo and it diverts them to a competitor’s site, a third party industry site, a search engine or other corporate sites or pages
• Initial Interest Confusion – a page that leads a customer to believe they are on the client’s website
• Counterfeit activity – selling fake products under a brand name
• Misrepresentation – when a third party website displays a reference to an organization usually in the form of an authorized reseller, agent or broker of your company
• Framed website – when a company website appears in a frame contained within the boundaries of a third party website
• Website content – where the content on a third party Web page implies that a formal relationship exists with the company
• Non-hyperlinked logo – a third party website displays a reference to an organization using their logo which infers the site is associated with the company
• Client in third party URL and third party URL – a company’s trademark appears in a third party URL and the web page does not reference the company; or the URL contains the name in the address but the domain name is registered to a third party
• Unauthorized association – a third party that claims to be a partner, client, member, lender, investor or sponsor with an association to your organization
• Employment listings – placement of false employment listings by head hunters to lure potential candidates
• Business listings – when a company is included in an unauthorized business listing
• Logo mis-use – displaying logos that are not current, incorrect or distorted
• Vanity website – a member of an organization creates a website representing the company without approval

Domain infractions are also part of the brand searching exercise. In these cases, a newly registered domain will resolve into pages that:

• State the domain is for sale or auction
• Have monetized links so the page will attract attention and create a flow of money
• Contain adult content Redirect you to a corporate site through an affiliate page
• Show your corporate logo
• Say that the page is under construction

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Next