Technology Licensing And Brands

Pete CanalichioFebruary 28, 20112 min

I was talking to a prospective client the other day. We were discussing how product innovation is critical to helping brand owners stay connected with their consumers. One of the best examples of this is to consider what Apple has done with their iPod, iPhone and most recently the iPad.   

Through product innovation Apple has made existing platforms such as the iPod and iPhone significantly more relevant to their consumers ever since the products were originally launched. Moreover, through the introduction of the iPad, Apple has created an entirely new category to help consumers stay connected with the world in a simple, powerful and elegant way.

My prospective client was considering licensing some patented technology they possessed. When I told him that the best way to find suitable partners for the technology was to understand their partners’ brands and the positioning of those brands, he wanted me to explain why I felt that was so important.

My point to him was that technology can be the key to helping a brand owner more powerfully reinforce their brand position with the consumer.  To keep with the Apple example, the makers of the iPhone made their platform available to the world so that anyone with an idea for an application could gain access to iPhone protocols. When the iPhone launched in 2007, there were very few Apple developed applications available with the phone.

In 2008 Apple made a Software Development Kit available to the public that allowed anyone to write native applications for the iPhone. Today there are over 300,000 applications available making the iPhone more and more relevant to a broader base of consumers. This has driven an exponential growth in sales of the iPhone with over 73 million sold to date.

Often times brand owners don’t have access to the latest technology to drive needed innovation for their products and to help them reinforce their brand position through new features that would become available with that technology. In these instances it is important for brand owners to be open to acquiring that technology through a straight purchase or through licensing.

If you are the owner of a technology that could be licensed, consider the pool of brands out there that could benefit from your technology. Then do your homework and learn how those brands are positioned in the marketplace. The ones that need your technology to help them reinforce their brand position are going to be your best candidates.

The Blake Project Can Help: The Brand Licensing Audit

Branding Strategy Insider is a service of The Blake Project: A strategic brand consultancy specializing in Brand Research, Brand Strategy, Brand Growth and Brand Education

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