|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
|
The Issue. The sales of a major brand of one of the top multinational spirits companies in an Asian market were being significantly eroded by counterfeits, produced by refilling genuine bottles with local spirit. The Solution. A colorless, tasteless food-grade marker was incorporated into the spirit at parts per billion levels prior to bottling in Europe. This allowed suspect product in retail premises to be readily identified on-the spot by non-technical personnel, thus providing the requisite proof for law enforcement agencies to impound the stock immediately. Following confirmation by traditional chemical analysis that the impounded stock was counterfeit, the stock could be legally destroyed. The Outcome. This anti-counterfeiting approach combined with rigorous inspection, enforcement and other security measures, enabled the brand owner to double sales and thus increase revenues by several million dollars, whilst dramatically reducing the counterfeiters market share. Net brand contribution has increased by $6m. With total program costs of $0.5m, this represents a return on investment of 12 to 1. The program is now being extended to other at risk markets. |
||||
|
|
|