This post is about parasitic branding, a topic was brought to my attention by a 5/17/17 Marketing Minute piece from marketing guru Marcia Yudkin.
What is parasitic branding? Some might think of it as an example of imitation being the sincerest form of flattery. And of course it is at some level. But it’s also opportunistic and pretty much of a cheat. Ms. Yudkin is blunt: “Building your brand on the back of someone else’s creativity or reputation is morally suspect and legally risky.”
She cites as her example a hostelry in Mexico that branded itself the Hotel California and in all aspects of operations attempted to suggest a close relationship with The Eagles. A lawsuit filed by the band noted that travelers booked into the place thinking that the hit song was about the hotel. (Wonder how they felt if there was no “pink champagne on ice” available.)
But I digress. Ms. Yudkin notes that it can be risky to ally yourself with a brand that later “crashes and burns.” And that your target market will probably not respect your attempt to take shortcuts instead of doing the creative work yourself.
Just for fun, I occasionally refer to myself—in my copy editing efforts, at least—as the “cleanup woman,” which is meant as an affectionate tribute to the redoubtable Betty Wright and no reflection the nature of the work I do.
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