Brand protection: United we stand

Today, counterfeit goods are right up there alongside Coca Cola as one of the world's leading brands and product manufacturers are battling to ensure that what they deliver via the retailer to the consumer is their genuine branded product, not tampered with, and not a harmful counterfeit.

Manufacturers are taking every step to protect their products, not just through monitoring the manufacturing and distribution chain, but also critically at item level, via packaging and labels. These have proved to be the ideal carriers for all kinds of security 'messaging', both visible to the naked eye and, more importantly, visible only via special security reading equipment.

The Brand Protection Alliance

Headquartered in the US but with a global focus, the Brand Protection Alliance (BPA) was founded three years ago to assist in researching, designing, and implementing security solutions to protect against both the intellectual and physical property theft.

The technologies, products, and services offered by BPA member companies are extremely focused. Specialist security papers and films featuring invisible security features such as watermarks, taggants, and 'void' constructions, provide the kind of base level protection that counterfeiters often forget, even though they may be experts in fake holograms, packaging print, and bar codes. These materials can be used on their own or incorporated, for example, into self-adhesive security labelling laminates.

Partnering the substrates are many print consumables, which offer many possibilities for 'layered' overt and covert security devices. Security inks for converting by the traditional print processes vary from thermochromic and chemichromatic to magnetic, UV fluorescent, coin reactive, erasable, and bleach indicators, and there are solutions for today's digital inkjet processes and security thermal transfer ribbons. Stamping foils can also contribute enormously to the provision of security features – there are invisible UV fluorescent qualities, diffraction foils, two and three-dimensional holograms and dot matrix holograms, and magnetic foils.

However, it is in the invisible spectrum of product authentication devices that the highest levels of security are achieved. Alongside this bank of 'generic' solutions are the proprietary covert devices and systems chosen by the leading manufacturers to give top level authentication of their products. These often demand a cradle-to-grave closed security chain across the whole production and logistics process, even involving press systems integration.

At the practical implementation level, BPA member companies can offer the most advanced technologies. Devising a security system that will work in a specific situation demands in-depth analysis, and an intense understanding of the market and its distribution channels. Risk management consultants and training companies, specialists in verification and investigation techniques, and market analysts like AWA have

a role to play in building a brand protection platform. Their input is essential in examining the available solutions, choosing the right route, and educating the people so that the desired results can be achieved and verified on a sustainable basis. All these disciplines are embraced in the BPA's member portfolio;

and a brand owner with a specific product authentication problem can rely on expert evaluation and then implementation with leading edge and sometimes even emerging technologies.

Even then, it can be hard to keep ahead of the sophisticated criminals and counterfeiters, and adapting and evolving anti-counterfeiting systems on a regular basis is a sensible precaution that the BPA can advise upon.

I believe such an alliance offers product manufacturers a platform that may involve significant additional time and cost within a company, but will certainly provide a verifiable return on investment.