Originally Published PMPN February 2005
Brand Matters
The “Intel Inside” Effect
Everyone wants to brand their proprietary technology and ingredients. In this first part of a two-part case study, we look at how IEEE is blazing new trails in branding its standards.
Robert C. Sprung and Christian Wichmann, TippingSprung LLC
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| Robert C. Sprung |
In the branding business, it is remarkable how often we get asked to duplicate the “Intel Inside” effect in order to brand proprietary technology in a memorable way. Given the tremendous success (and marketing budget) of Intel’s program, this is akin to asking a designer to “give me something like the Nike swoosh.”
Nonetheless, a new branding technology trend has recently emerged, thanks to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE; New York City), one of the world’s leading standards organizations. As we show in this two-part series, IEEE is leading the way in the field of branded standards. In this first segment, we look at how third parties Intel and Apple created their own branding around IEEE’s standards. In the next issue of PMP News, we look at how IEEE is taking back the branding of its standards.
The story offers plenty of lessons that may help your firm in creating some distinctive branding around your own technology and ingredients.
The Birth of a Trend
IEEE, one of the oldest and most respected technology standards organizations in the world, is positioned to benefit from branding its standards. “A numbered standard such as 802.11 offers little in the way of legal trademark protection and presents a real obstacle in terms of branding and memorability,” says Claudio Stanziola, manager for standards intellectual property at IEEE.
IEEE was one of the pioneers in the standards-branding business, unaware of its role until after the fact. Its standards form the basis for four of today’s major branded standards. But in each case, a third party took the initiative and branded an existing IEEE standard.
The first is Wi-Fi, or wireless fidelity—the networking standard based on IEEE’s landmark 802.11. One can hardly imagine a better illustration of branding’s power than the contrast between “802.11” and the memorable brand name Wi-Fi. The average consumer has no difficulty remembering Wi-Fi and dropping it in cocktail-party conversation, while that same consumer may not have even heard of IEEE, let alone the designation 802.11.
But having the best technology may not be enough to take home all the marbles. Despite IEEE’s role in transforming most of our lives through wireless networking, the idea of branding this standard was conceived and implemented outside IEEE, namely by the Wi-Fi Alliance. Founded in 1999, the Alliance claims to have 200 member companies, and has branded 1500 products with the Wi-Fi certification. The dollars to cover both certification testing and the licensing of the Wi-Fi trademark flow to independent testing laboratories and the Wi-Fi Alliance, but not to IEEE.
Firewire is another powerful brand based on an IEEE standard. Here, too, we can get a sense of the power of branding by contrasting the imagery in the coined term Firewire with the technical jargon that underlies it. To quote Apple’s Web site, “Firewire is a cross-platform implementation of the high-speed serial data bus—defined by the IEEE 1394-1995, IEEE 1394a-2000, and IEEE 1394b-2000 standards—that can move large amounts of data between computers and peripheral devices.” The Firewire trademark and logo are owned by Apple and may be licensed by third parties. Apple charges no license fee, apparently seeing more value in high-speed dissemination of this powerful mark.
A similar story can be told about two other branded standards. WiMax, based on IEEE 802.16, relates to broadband wireless communication. The WiMax Forum (www.wimaxforum.org) has its own certification process. Similarly, Intel’s Centrino trademark—so powerfully linked with the chipmaker through branding and advertising—is also based on IEEE’s 802.11 standard.
Tune in next issue to see IEEE brand a standard.
Robert C. Sprung can be reached at robert@tippingsprung.com. TippingSprung (New York City) offers brand strategy, naming, and design services with a focus on the needs of technology companies.
Copyright ©2005 Pharmaceutical & Medical Packaging News
