2020 was such a hard time for Kenyans and the world at large on account of COVID-19. Simply put, livelihoods were lost. Though every dark cloud has its silver lining, people dived into businesses and saw some opening up companies and got creative when it came to designing logos, slogans and so forth. Logos and slogans are marks that also include a letter, device, brand name, signature, label just to mention a few. It’s important to note that registration of marks is governed by the Trademarks Act, Cap 506 of the Laws of Kenya.
So, what is a trademark perhaps you’re wondering. It’s a distinctive sign which differentiates goods or services produced or provided by one enterprise from others.
For example, the word “Yes” is a registered mark of Kencell Communications Limited, another word is “JOGOO” which is a registered mark of Unga Limited,
“the pride of Africa” which is a slogan, is a mark of Kenya Airways. Another slogan is “MY COUNTRY MY BEER” which is a mark of East Africa Breweries Limited.
There’s the three-dimensional mark and a good example is the Coca-Cola bottle. The contour device of the bottle is a registered mark of Coca Cola Company.
Trademarks are important as they are able to enable consumers identify a product or service and distinguish it from other similar products provided by competitors, which echoes why trademarks play a key role when it comes to advertising and marketing strategies of companies.
It’s evident that trust is the basis for establishing a loyal clientele. Therefore, it’s safe to say that the image and reputation of a company, built on the basis of the performance of its products in terms of meeting the needs of the consumers, creates trust. More often than not, consumers have an emotional attachment to certain trademarks, as they are associated with a set of desired qualities embodied in the products with such trademarks.
It’s important to note that Trademarks provide an incentive to companies to invest in maintaining or improving the quality of their products in order to satisfy their consumers needs as well as a positive reputation.