As the new millennium unfolds, it’s becoming more apparent that one of a consumer goods manufacturer’s most important assets is its brand. Consumers are willing to pay a premium price for brands, and that translates to both profit and marketplace power.

But brands face many threats, and like any asset, they need to be protected. There are criminal enterprises that can steal a portion of the investment in a brand for themselves by counterfeiting or unlawfully distributing a product (called diversion), or worse, damage a brand’s equity and the manufacturer by hurting consumers who purchase a product, termed product terrorism.

One of the most important methods of protection is through variable data marking and coding technologies on primary packaging. Technologies can include ink jet printers, laser coders, thermal transfer overprinters, binary array printers or a combination of technologies that provide multiple layers of protection, thus making it more difficult to counterfeit or divert products. Combining these technologies with software that creates unique, random codes that are placed directly on a package will go a long way in protecting the brand, the manufacturer and, ultimately, the consumer.

The purpose of this article is to help brand managers better evaluate the prominent choices in variable data marking and coding technologies, so they can proactively and cost-effectively battle threats to their brands.

Reprinted with Permission from www.videojet.com