Brand Imitation in Africa: The Real Risks, the Lessons, and How to Protect Your Brand

About this episode

The episode discusses the risks of brand imitation in Africa and how original brands can protect themselves.

Not long ago, I was on a long drive. My phone battery was running dangerously low, and I had forgotten my car charger. The previous night, I hadn’t charged the phone fully either, so I was running out of power fast. Along the way, I spotted a shop that looked promising, a bright, well-arranged phone accessories store. From outside, you could see neat displays of chargers, cables, headphones, and other gadgets. I pulled over, walked in, and asked for a charger. The shopkeeper confidently presented a range of options. He assured me that all were “good quality,” and encouraged me to test one. As I looked around the shop more carefully, something caught my eye. Almost everything in that store was an imitation. Ninety-nine percent of the products carried names that looked familiar but were not quite right. A “NOKRI” instead of Nokia. “Samsong” instead of Samsung. A tiny tweak in spelling, logo, or packaging, but the clear intention was to imitate trusted brands. The young man selling them believed in what he was offering. He insisted these were reliable and affordable alternatives. But to me, the reality was different. These were products…

People in this episode

Host: Bernard Kelvin Clive

Topics covered

• brand imitation
• business risks
• brand protection
• entrepreneurship
• marketing strategies

Keywords

• brand imitation
• Africa
• business risks
• brand protection
• marketing

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Nokia, Samsung

Places: Africa

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