Building a brand image is a complex and long process, and it is fraught with various caveats: from copycats to fraud and scam attempts, as your brand becomes more prominent, the illicit attempt to profit from it will become more frequent and devious. Large- and medium-sized companies have already developed and perfected internal processes to register and protect their intellectual rights over their logo, corporate identity for their entire printed, web-based, audio and video properties representing their brand.
In pursuing the enforcement of copyrights and trademarks, companies work closely with legal departments and keep a close eye on the usage of their name, logo and brand image, all over the internet and in the offline environment as well.
Right now there is a new environment, which a company must consider keeping under observation and monitoring as a part of a complete and effective brand protection strategy: the mobile environment. The validation mechanisms on the online marketplace for mobile apps (Google Play for Android, App Store for iOS, Windows Apps for Windows Mobile) are still too weak to be dependable.
This means that your company should be proactive in building and protecting your mobile brand identity. These are just a few considerations to keep in mind while planning your mobile branding strategy:
- Mobile Identity Is an Intrinsic Part of Your Brand Value
The most valuable brands in the world, such as Disney or Coca Cola, are highly proactive and responsive in protecting all their copyrights and trademarks. They reserve their URL brand names even for domains they do not use, they sweep the internet for brand mentions and unauthorized usage of logos and trademarks, and they keep a keen eye on the mobile app environment, taking swift action whenever an unauthorized developer tries to take advantage of their brand image.
This is why, if you have not already prepared a checklist for monitoring your mobile brand image, you should do this as soon as possible.
- Mobile Payment Is on the Rise
Do you remember the first time people started using online payment systems? They were extremely skeptical and they were constantly checking every merchant on Google to find out if they are legitimate businesses or scammers. Later, the online payment market matured and people understood the layers of protection provided by companies, payment processors and banking institutions.
Mobile payment is still in the “early adopters” phase. Tech-savvy people are excited about this new and simpler way of buying products and services. The large majority of your potential customers are still wary. They are waiting to obtain validation from various trusted sources about the security of mobile payments. This is why you must be certain that your mobile app and your brand image are not exploited by hackers, scammers or copycat phishing apps. Once the word is out that your mobile app is unsafe for payments, no one will use it anymore.
- Mobile Services Are the Future of Business
The business world is definitely becoming more mobile with every passing day. People are always active, changing their homes, workplaces, commuting or being dispatched overseas by their company. If you want to keep in touch with your clients, you have to offer them the flexibility of keeping in touch with you on their own terms and at their best convenience.
This is why more and more companies shift their focus from web to mobile branding and marketing. Internet traffic from mobile devices has already exceeded static devices (including desktop computers and even laptops). This is why your organization needs to be mobile, agile, and prepared to counteract security risks and improper brand image use in the mobile environment.
The mobile era is here. Some companies have embraced the change and already master the new environment they need to operate in. Some are still in the learning phase. Where does your company stand?
Image Credit: CC by Linus Bohman