“Ctrl + C” & “Ctrl + V” are the two commands which are managing more careers than we can ever imagine. This is the easiest trick in the book and the most used one.
People with low creativity and zero originality who are in search of a shortcut to success find it better to copy someone else’s success formula and present it to the world. In very few of the cases this turns out to be a winning lottery ticket, for others it shares the fortune of larger lottery buyers. It brings disappointment.
We will try to understand about few ways in which copying is done for a brand or its product line & if it is worth the effort?
Adapter – This company will dissect the market leader’s product and services associated, will adopt its most of the features and improve upon few others. They might market their offering in a different market but with sustained efforts evolve into the future challenger of the market leader.
Ex: Market leader Apple’s product were copied, and few features were improved upon by Samsung. They have been into fierce legal battles in almost every major market of Apple.
Another controversial adaption of a novel into movie was “Three idiots” from “Five point someone” by Chetan Bhagat. It generated a lot of verbal slurs between the producers and the author.
This kind of adaption in the name of creative freedom is a regular feature in film making industry. They shamelessly copy even the comedy and action sequences and get it cross promoted too. A case in point is Allu Arjun tweeting the video link of song in movie “Radhe” which is a literal “Ctrl C & Ctrl V” job of his work. Given below is poster of a movie with same theme in 3 languages with different cast.
Imitator – They copy few of the things from the leader but differentiates on packaging, advertising, pricing, or location. The leader remains unaffected if the imitator is not going all out and eating into its market share.
Ex: Market leader and imitator of cornflakes brand are easy to spot here. Observe the similarity in milk splash and color combination on the both the packets.
You probably knew the one brand which doctors were recommending to gargle during the 2nd wave of CORONA in case you develop any symptoms. Another brand decided to cash out the frenzy and launched its own gargle. Let me know in the comment box which one is imitator here (Hint: The sequence given below might be jumbled up, better to check out which one was available in your home before the 2nd wave).
Cloner – The cloner blatantly copies the leader’s product name and packaging with slight variations.
Ex: Most of us might have had a grab from “Burger King” and while others in Delhi and few other cities might have got a bite from “Burger Singh” albeit for lesser amount of money.
Notice the strikingly similar logo designs of Star Bucks and our home-grown Sardar Buksh…. This got them in to a legal battle and team Sardarbuksh settled down to rechristen it to Sardar Ji Buksh
Counterfeiter – These guys simply deal in duplicating the leader’s product and sell it in the black market. Favorite categories for them are FMCG, Pharma, Alcohol, Lifestyle and Apparels, Tobacco, & Documents. As per a report of Economic Times, this gives dent of Rs. 1 Lakh crore to economy every year.
While sitting in the comfort of AC in metro cities, few of us might feel that this is what happens with unaware rural masses and I need not to worry, I hate to break it to you, but it is much closer to us than we could have ever imagined it in our worst possible dreams. Have a look at the picture below to revisit the horror stories across newspapers in mid of April 2021.
In this category the original brand need not to worry much as the target segment is different in terms of the affordability and loyalty. Ex: Someone with affordability of a genuine “Rolex Submariner” is also aware that it will not be available at Palika Bazaar.
Indian rural market happens to be the breeding ground of imitation/counterfeit products. Since, people aspire to use a Parachute Hair Oil or Fair & Glow, counterfeiters make the products available at cheaper prices in pockets where distribution gaps exist for FMCG giants.
Normally followed are three ways to imitate:
- Look – Alike : With similar brand name, color scheme and packaging of a popular brand
- Spell – Alike : Maintain a close resemblance in all the above and even the name Ex: “Reebok & Rebook” or a “Pantene” can be provide like “Pentene” (Too identical to spot out).
- Duplicates : Exact copy of the popular brand
Now, the question remains is it worth the efforts to copy rather than creating your own brand?
Well, the answer lies in the “Vision” and “Time Frame”.
If the purpose is to generate quick buck, the trap is open.
But, if you want to nurture your customers with triad of Quality, Service and Price while generating healthy profits and desire your brand to be the “Recognized” one long after you are gone…. You very well know the route…
The “Apple” is “Apple” for a reason.
Write-up By :
Prof. Devesh Awasthi
Assistant Professor
‘Copy paste’ is an easy formula usually adopted by unorganised sector where target is not towards loyalty building or brand recognition.
If vision is long term value creation there is no alternative to originality.