I was recently privy to
one of the worst branding disasters I’ve ever encountered. The effect on the
team launching the product was near catastrophic and hindsight proved just how
avoidable it all was. There are a few simple rules to a product launch and I’m
hoping that my recent experience can shed a light on how to avoid this problem
in the future.
The following story is true. Certain names and details have been
altered to protect the privacy and integrity of those involved.
The Product
I work as a digital
media consultant responsible for developing content for various companies that
choose to market their business on the internet. A well-intentioned individual
who runs a website and blog devoted to tea was looking to expand their audience
by hosting an online tea conference bringing experts from all over the world to
discuss everything concerning tea, called “The Tea Council”. The online
conference would be composed of 30 presentations and interviews on various
subjects as they relate to tea marketed for free over a one-week period, and
available for sale thereafter through the blog and various affiliates for
$29.99.
The Team
A tremendous amount of
work is involved to put together one of these online conferences for which
there are numerous benefits to the consumer. First, during the week of the
conference the information is available for free. Second, there is no need to
buy a ticket, purchase a flight, or book a hotel room in another city - the
entire conference can be enjoyed from one’s bedroom. And finally, the
information is available to the consumer in perpetuity. In order to create this
product, a whole content team and marketing team need to be assembled to create
the product and to put it out to the world. Web space for the “theteacouncil”
was purchased and all content and marketing for the conference would be
channeled through that space. A single online conference takes a solid 2 to 3
months to put together employing about a dozen individuals all trained in their
specific discipline as well as coordinating with a large group of experts who
all have a stake in how great the reach is for this conference.
My Role
As the one responsible
for designing the content, it was my job to consult with our client on how to
make the best use of digital media to communicate the information of an expert
with an audience of lay people. An interview is conducted between the
conference host and the expert that is recorded and edited, and then turned
into a final podcast-type deliverable for the consumer. Those interviews are
then transcribed, from which a power point presentation is created. This power
point is then turned into a video and is matched with the audio presentation
which itself is delivered to the consumer. All in all, for thirty
presentations, on my end alone, it was about 100 hours of work.
How It All Broke Down in the Blink of an Eye
We were less than a week
away to launch. All the content was in place, all the affiliates were on board,
and initial pre-registrations had already taken place. Heavy traffic was already
heading to the website and sales were already being made. The client received a
cease and desist letter from the owner of a website called “councilonteas.com”.
After an initial review from a lawyer, although being reassured that the Council
on Teas didn’t have much of a case, legal fees alone would cut significantly
into the budget of the conference. The owner of the Council on Teas was also
adamant that a deal could not be struck and that the Tea Council was in breach
of a trademarked product and would be legally blocked from launching their
product, and would face legal repercussions and be prosecuted to the full
extent of the law, should they continue with their launch as planned.
Lesson Learned
A simple Google search
would have shown the existence of the Council on Teas company and their
website, and the initial decision to launch the conference as “The Tea Council”
had to be considered a terrible oversight. Even if the desired web space was
available, it would have been preferable to do some initial market research and
explore any websites and names that might have even been remotely similar to
anything they wanted to launch.
Read on to Part 2 to find out what it took to finally get a
completed product completely rebranded and launched.
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