In the electronic information age, policing your brand will require frequent surveys of the Web in order to keep tabs on your brand’s presence in Cyberspace. Who knows what’s happening to it out there? Cybersquatters, typosquatters, spoof sites, gripe sites, feigned competitors, and blatant impostors are among only the illegal (or barely legal) brand diluters. The Semantic Web provides ample online fora where literally anyone, often anonymously, can offer commentary and insight about your product/service/company/organization in real time, directly affecting its image and reputation… your brand.

“Fan sites” have proven to be especially problematic. By its very definition, a fan site is a Web site created and maintained by a fan(s) or devotee(s) interested in a celebrity, thing, or a particular cultural phenomenon. The “phenomenon” can be anything from a movie, television show, actor, band, musician, or sports team, to a soft drink, adult beverage, restaurant chain, NFP, or college or university.

On the positive side, fan sites offer something money just can’t buy: free advertising and a free vehicle for brand dissemination. It would seem foolhardy to thrwart the obvious opportunities advantaged by word-of-mouth advertising. It is, after all, the operating principle underlying viral marketing successes.

On the other side, the existence of fan sites means that the messaging that ensures your brand can no longer be completely controlled. From a cautionary perspective, this means that your brand can easily spiral into an unmanageable abyss. And at the extreme negative, fan sites can spread gossip, rumors, bad information, and commentary detrimental to your brand and image.

While some persons/companies/organizations have held a positive outlook and welcomed fan sites, others have reigned in fan-operated sites with varying degrees of totalitarianism. Last year, musician Prince took action against fan sites carrying unofficial images and downloads. Citing Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) violations, the Purple One sent takedown requests to the fans operating the sites, threatening to file suit in U.S. Federal Court for noncompliance.

Yesterday, a milder approach was taken by Canadian 80s rocker Bryan Adams. Seeking a solution that wouldn’t entirely alienate the fans, Adams’ attorneys asked the site owners to agree to a set of guidelines for operating a Bryan Adams fan site. By signing a rights agreement, Adams would regain sizable control over distribution of unofficial images, audio files, and other media, thereby giving Adams the extra control of his brand not afforded by the existence of unregulated fan sites.

What are fan sites doing to your brand’s image? You can only find out by periodically, and thoroughly, policing your brand.

Source: The Register

Christine Babick is a blogger at beneaththebrand.com. A marketing strategist and linguist, she specializes in marketing language, website text, “emo copy,” and cause and relationship marketing.

Article Tags: Babick | brand | Copyright | Cyberlaw | Fan Sites | Intellectual Property | Management | Policing | Protection | Trademark | Websites
Filed under: Brand Management, Brand Protection, Music Marketing, Trademark & Copyright, Word of Mouth Marketing