4 Questions To Find Out If Your Brand Content Is Exposed To Leaks

⇥ QUICK READ

• #1 - Protecting brand content: What is your role?
• #2 - Serial leakers: Is your company’s industry prone to be affected?
• #3 - Brand content misuse: What information should be protected?
• #4 - Digital content: How to share information properly?

The sobering reality of brand content protection is that it's getting harder to stay ahead of the escalating sophistication of skilled leakers. A headline product launch can vanish in a matter of seconds when undisclosed specifications, images and renders suddenly appear online.

And this is only the beginning. Not only do pre-disclosures provide your competitors with valuable information, but they also open the door to counterfeiters, gray markets, and the eventual erosion of the brand and loss of sales.

Keeping your upcoming products under wraps and preventing potential leaks, whether through broken embargoes and non-disclosure agreements (NDA) to the intentional distribution of unreleased digital images and renders, is possible by implementing a well-thought-out prevention and monitoring strategy beforehand.

It’s simply a matter of answering these four questions.

#1 - Protecting brand content: What is your role?

Depending on your role in the organization, you’ll want to be attentive to types of information prone to provide valuable information to serial leakers and where within the sharing misuse can happen.

This means establishing a relationship with suppliers built not only on trust but on establishing contracts and processes beforehand that are designed to protect you and your brand from inadvertent mishaps. Remember, leakers search out intellectual property information, often scoping out patent or regulator’s databases. Even if it feels daunting on how to control information sharing in your organization, setting up security practices and procedures is possible.

#2 - Serial leakers: Is your company’s industry prone to be affected?

Is your organization at risk? Snatched digital assets are often the starting point of a leaked upcoming product launch. And it’s not only highly anticipated consumer electronics that fall victim to leakers. Industries spanning fashion and entertainment to automotive and real-estate are prey too.

For example, a manufacturer of licensed collectible toys regularly saw its launch campaigns spoiled by fans who obtained and shared visuals of its new products prior to their official release. In addition to wasted communication and potential problems with the license owner, this information speeds up the entry of counterfeit products on the market.

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#3 - Brand content misuse: What information should be protected?

A sound brand content protection game plan works when everyone is on the same page and plays by the same rules. Firstly, getting there means defining what information will need to be shared beforehand and with whom.

Your circle of trust is often expansive as more individuals, both inside and outside the organization, are involved in the process. Internal risks must be considered just as much as external.

We've all read the disastrous consequences of prototypes inadvertently left in cabs and on barstools by an employee. These types of faux pas can happen at any stage of the process; from the internal sharing of renders and product specifications to the circulation of images and videos with the press, influencers, and distributors before the launch date. There are risks at every step.

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#4 - Digital content: How to share information properly?

2020 marked a major turning point for eCommerce and product introductions. Not only are new products showcased virtually, but digital sales channels dominate. This sudden flip has caught off guard traditional and tech-savvy companies alike. As a result, these brands now find themselves in the throes of lengthy legal battles in a never-ending warfare to combat serial leakers and the explosive growth of counterfeit channels (also read about our anti-piracy watermark solution).

If you’re responsible or part of a team preparing for a new product introduction and launch, you’ll need to ensure that all sharing of digital content is safe from misuse or accidental leaks.

As a conclusion

Understanding where brand content protection risks lurk in your organization, workflows and systems is critical. To find out how exposed your content is to potential leaks, take the IMATAG online test and receive a personalized diagnosis, including tips and advice on how to better protect your brand content.

Your visual content is your business front line. Protect them.

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