With the popularity of the TV series "Liu Laogen", many enterprises and individuals are optimistic about the brand awareness of "Liu Laogen" and have rushed to register the trademark of "Liu Laogen". There are many "Liu Laogen" brand products on the market: beer, soy sauce, hot sauce … even "medicine boxes" have been registered as pesticide trademarks.

It is understood that when "Liu Laogen" was first broadcast, some people began to sign up, but not many. It was after the sequel of Liu Laogen was broadcast, that is, before and after the Spring Festival in 2003, that a product called "Liu Laogen pickles" had been advertised on TV. Moreover, Zhao Benshan himself began to pay attention to this matter, and acted quickly. He sent his assistant Zhao Gang to Beijing to register the trademark "Liu Laogen", which basically means "registering everything that can be registered". Zhao Gang has applied for the "batch" registration of catering, culture and food trademarks, but it will take some time to register. However, Zhao Gang believes that the TV series "Liu Laogen" is related to "Liu Laogen", and Zhao Benshan has the right to apply for registration of the trademark.

The registered trademark of "Liu Laogen" shocked the business community and attracted the attention of all parties.

Liu Laogen's TV series has been popular for more than a year. In addition to its plot, it has also become a textbook for SME owners to "recall and reflect", and Liu Laogen's registered trademark has also become a hot topic in the business community. This phenomenon makes more people think deeply about product image and brand.

Many business people believe that the upsurge of registering "Liu Laogen" reflects that the business community's understanding of the brand has been raised to a considerable height.

In response to this phenomenon, Ms. Wang Yuqi, manager of Shenyang Yuyang Environmental Protection Equipment Co., Ltd. said: Why is everyone rushing to register' Liu Laogen'? Because there are too many products now, but in the market situation where the supply of products exceeds demand, consumers accept brands instead of products. Products are only equal to inventory, and brands represent the market. Without good brands, they are almost losers in the market. "

Mr. Cai, the senior marketing director of another multinational company, said: "Liu Laogen is the most registered agricultural product, which on the one hand reflects the rationality of the registrant, and on the other hand reflects the reality that agricultural products lack brands. When there is no high investment to build a brand image, it is indeed a wonderful choice to find a way to graft it on the artistic image of' Liu Laogen'. Choosing a brand with accurate positioning is success. "

Now not only is the trademark of "Liu Laogen" registered, but also other names and place names in "Liu Laogen" drama have become the targets of many businesses. A few days ago, the relevant person in charge of the State Trademark Office predicted that "Longquan Villa" may become a hot spot for registration in the next stage. According to Director Li of the General Office of the State Administration of Trademarks, the trademark "Liu Laogen" has been used in coffee, fertilizer, beer, soy sauce, hot sauce and other commodities, and even the "medicine box" has become a registered trademark of hot goods. If nothing happens, the application for registration of the trademark of Longquan Villa in the next stage will become another hot spot for businesses.

At present, how many enterprises in China have applied for registration of the trademark "Liu Laogen"? Does applying for the trademark "Liu Laogen" necessarily represent business opportunities? According to Director Liu of the General Office of the State Trademark Office, there is no clear statistics on the number of people applying for registration of Liu's trademark. However, there are more than 150 trademark offices in China, and it is conservatively estimated that more than 500 people have applied for the registration of Liu Laogen's trademark. Director Liu also told reporters that as far as enterprises and individuals registered the trademark of "Liu Laogen" in various places are concerned, their main purposes are threefold: First, register and obtain the right to use the trademark as soon as possible and put it into production as soon as possible. This part of the main body is mainly those enterprises and individuals with economic strength and technical resources; The second is to reserve resources for product production and put them into use when conditions and opportunities are ripe. This part is mainly aimed at enterprises and individuals with certain financial and technical conditions but unable to produce in time; Third, it is only a simple investment to prepare to transfer the trademark at an appropriate time in order to obtain the trademark transfer fee. This part of the main body is mainly those enterprises and individuals who do not have the production conditions. In the third case, at present, there are many applications for registration of the trademark "Liu Laogen", that is, pure investment, ready to transfer. One of the most successful examples in this respect is that Harbin Lianzhong Business Planning Co., Ltd. spent more than 2,000 yuan to register the trademark of "Liu Laogen", which was taken away by an enterprise in Zhaodong, and needed to invest 2 million yuan to purchase the registered trademark of "Liu Laogen". This company in Harbin didn't sell it because of its low asking price.

Jiang Yanghai, director of the Quality Division of Liaoning Provincial Bureau of Quality and Technical Supervision, summed up the registered phenomenon of "Liu Laogen" trademark with personal capital's "famous brand effect". Director Jiang Yanghai said that since the mid-1990s, China's famous brand strategy has been launched, and enterprises' market awareness, competition awareness and brand awareness have been enhanced, and Shandong, Sichuan, Heilongjiang and other provinces have begun to implement the famous brand product strategy. For example, Changshu City, Jiangsu Province is a county-level city with a small area, and its five products, Bosideng Down Jacket, Snow Flying Down Jacket, Menglan Bedding, Lonely God Electric Refrigerator and Snow Electric Refrigerator, are all national famous brands, accounting for half of Jiangsu Province, ranking first among domestic county-level cities. However, the profits, taxes and total profits of brand-name products above the provincial level account for 34% and 4 1.6% of the city respectively, and the leading role of brand-name economy is very obvious. In the fierce market competition, businesses gradually discover and realize that famous brands are the banner of economy. Practice has also proved that the formation and development of famous brand economy will have an inestimable impetus and great influence on the economic and social development of a region and even a country.

"Liu Laogen" gave a lesson to enterprises in Liaoning and Shenyang.

Many businesses compete to register the trademark of "Liu Laogen", which leads to Zhao Benshan's passivity in trademark registration. This really gave the public a popular and vivid "trademark knowledge" training class. It turns out that Liu Laogen is a brand created by Liaoshen actors in Liaoshen area. It should be that Liu Laogen's trademarks are the most registered in Liaoning and Shenyang, but in fact, on the contrary, most of Liu Laogen's trademarks are registered by some enterprises in the south. This is the sorrow of enterprises in Liaoning and Shenyang. Times Business Daily, Liaoning Economic Daily and other Liaoning and Shenyang media have discussed this phenomenon in newspapers. Some people say that if Zhao Benshan is more aware of trademarks, he may take time to register a series of trademarks of Liu Laogen no matter how busy he is.

For enterprises, trademarks are the first wealth of enterprises. Shenyang Shuangxi Pressure Cooker Factory was once a smash hit brand in 1950s and 1960s. However, due to the lack of trademark awareness of the enterprise at that time, it was not registered in time, so it was squatted by a southern enterprise, and the two sides firmly fought a trademark lawsuit. The famous "Songjia Wonton Restaurant" in Shenyang was founded by Mr. Song Shenbao, but the trademark of "Songjia Wonton" fell into the hands of others because it was not registered in time. Finally, Mr. Song declared that he would add his name "Song Shenbao" before "Song Jiawonton", thus registering the trademark as "Song Shenbao Song Jiawonton". Well-known brands in Shi Yang, such as Laobian jiaozi, Li Liangui bacon pie and small potato, have all experienced the ups and downs of trademark infringement and cybersquatting.

Local business people in Shenyang were deeply touched by this, and they expressed their feelings when interviewed by media reporters. Li Changming, deputy general manager of Shenyang Small Potato Catering Co., Ltd. said: "Trademark is the first wealth of an enterprise. In the past, our merchants paid more attention to quality and service, but now, we should realize that brand is the core of an enterprise, and relying on it to expand is the most effective way. Brand is the extension of enterprise value. To exaggerate, brand is the life of an enterprise. But all this depends on trademarks. "

It is understood that Haier Group registered a series of products with "Haier" trademark in the Trademark Office when Haier products just opened the market, which should be worth learning from many businesses.

Some entrepreneurs even reflect from a higher level: compared with these commercial operation modes that are familiar with the laws of market economy, we are in a reverse embarrassing situation, that is, we already have many famous brands like Zhao Benshan, but we are trapped in a worrying city and cannot turn them into real wealth. At this point, whether the "gold medal is not a famous brand" in those days or the "famous brand is not a gold medal" today, it actually points to the fragility and lack of business spirit in our northeast culture.

Another voice in cybersquatting: you can't blindly follow the registration of "famous brands".

Director Jiang of the Quality Department of Liaoning Provincial Bureau of Quality and Technical Supervision believes that the registration of the trademark "Liu Laogen" reflects the enhancement of people's brand awareness to a certain extent, but at the same time, he also wants to remind merchants that the registration of "famous brands" should not be blindly followed. Brand has its specific field and cannot be extended at will. Imagine if a brand of paint is used in mineral water, even if the brand of this paint rings again, there will be no good market. Quality is the reason and important foundation for famous brands to win. If the quality doesn't pass, and the people don't recognize it, the famous brand will still be eliminated by the market. Therefore, seizing the success of "Liu Laogen" is only the first step of the Long March. Paying attention to product quality and actively improving the product itself is the last word to win.

Liu Donghai of Shenyang Jerry Consulting Management Co., Ltd. said: "It is difficult to build a successful brand by blindly following the trend. It is better to be rational in this respect." He believes that in this "over-spread" society, on the one hand, we should seize any opportunity to build a brand, on the other hand, we should be careful not to blindly follow suit. "The brand is personalized and related. If there are ten different kinds of goods called' Liu Laogen' in the market, these ten kinds are not much better, because if one kind goes wrong, the whole will suffer.

Director Liu of the General Office of the State Administration of Trademarks said: "As far as we know, a large number of' Liu Laogen' trademarks have been applied, and the units that want to use them can no longer register, which has caused waste." "It takes at least 2000 yuan to apply for a registered trademark. It is useless for many enterprises to register, but they just want to transfer at a high price one day. But the possibility of successful transfer is slim, which is actually a waste of resources. So I remind businesses not to blindly register' Liu Laogen'. Trademark is actually just an intangible asset. If the' real economy' is stripped off, the result is often eye-catching, without actually increasing corporate profits. Similarly, the phenomenon that trademarks are "beside famous brands" is not desirable. Registering a trademark similar to a brand-name product can certainly get a good opportunity to intervene in the market. However, without the support of enterprise innovation, products and services, the result of' next to famous brands' may not only lift a rock and lick its own feet, but also lead to disputes and controversies. "

Economists comment on the trademark war of "Liu Laogen"

How do economists view this unresolved trademark registration war? "It is a good thing from an economic point of view to register the trademark of' Liu Laogen' consciously!" Liang Qidong, a professor at Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences and director of Liaoning Situation Research Institute, said. Director Liang Qidong believes that there are many enterprises registered the trademark of "Liu Laogen", which first reflects that the trademark awareness of enterprises has been strengthened than before. "Many people think that' cybersquatting' is a derogatory term. In my opinion, it should be a neutral word. It only reflects a kind of competition, and it does not have a positive or negative color. " Director Liang believes that the reason why Zhao Benshan lost a lot of ownership of the trademark "Liu Laogen" is actually his own lack of commercial sensitivity, which is caused by his own mistakes, and can't blame others. "Managers of many enterprises, like Zhao Benshan, often lose the most obvious intangible assets, which is actually a very painful experience and lesson."

Director Liang Qidong said that the gradual strengthening of market economy not only led enterprises to attach importance to trademark registration and protection, but also individuals began to set foot in trademark investment. "Here can be an example. After the term "well-off society" was put forward at the 16th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, a farmer named Zhou registered it as a trademark, which not only has the significance of the times, but also has the popularity that other trademarks can't achieve. Now someone has offered him 65,438+10,000 yuan to transfer the liquor trademark of' Xiaokang', and he declined. " It is driven by the socio-economic atmosphere of "trademark fever" that makes the trademark registration of "Liu Laogen" hot. Director Liang Qidong believes that our country used to be a shortage economy era, but now it is a surplus economy era, characterized by users making rules. Now the user's requirement is that a merchant should not only have good products, but also have good brands. "In today's fierce market competition, having a well-known trademark is of great strategic significance to any enterprise. Well-known trademarks reflect the quality, service, scale and benefit of enterprises, and also reflect the needs, recognition, investment and expectations of social consumers. Today, well-known trademarks are a huge intangible asset, which enables enterprises to occupy a favorable position in market competition and enhance their competitiveness. "

Why is "Liu Laogen" so favored by merchants?

There may be various reasons why merchants favor "Liu Laogen", but one thing is the same. Without exception, they all took a fancy to the great commercial value that "Liu Laogen" can bring. As for how much the brand "Liu Laogen" can be worth, the reporter interviewed several intangible assets appraisal firms. Ms. Wang from the Appraisal Department of Shenyang Weishixin Assets Appraisal Co., Ltd. said that the "Liu Laogen" brand is actually a very typical intangible asset. However, at present, domestic brand evaluation mainly focuses on products, and the brand value involving individuals is still inconclusive.

What will be the ranking of star brands in China? Nobody knows yet. But at present, no domestic star can surpass Zhao Benshan, which is an acknowledged fact in the entertainment circle.

Professionals point out that brand, as an asset, has five aspects in its value measurement and composition. First, as an asset, the brand's value is measured and constituted in five aspects: first, how much added value the brand name can bring to the price; Second, how much influence the brand name will have on customer preference; Third, the price to be paid for the brand being replaced; Fourth, it depends on the stock price of the brand; Finally, it focuses on the brand's ability to create profits. The value of a brand is composed of many factors, so there are many standards to measure it.

Mr. Zhang of Shenyang Huaheng Assets Appraisal Office said that the procedure of intangible assets appraisal is actually very complicated. It is impossible to evaluate the value of such a new brand as "Liu Laogen" for the time being. As a century-old well-known international brand like Coca-Cola, it will take decades to make such an evaluation. However, if Liu Laogen really evaluates it, it is estimated that Liu Laogen's brand value should be more than 6.5438+million yuan because it is impossible to count the number of manufacturers, product sales and advertising investment in the country.

Many experts and scholars have said that if Liu Laogen's image enters the fields of film, audio-visual, commercial sports, fashion clothes, animation and so on, there will be huge profits of hundreds of millions of yuan or even billions and billions. However, it is this special character with both cultural and economic attributes that makes business culture easier to enter the daily life of ordinary people than traditional cultural forms. It cannot be said that business culture has a great influence on people's lifestyle, values, social structure and ideology. Zhao Benshan has made Tieling a household name all over the country, which is the charm of commercial culture.

Teacher Zhao Fan, Institute of Economics, Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, said: The artistic image of "Liu Laogen" is now a household name, enjoying high popularity in the cultural circles and people's daily lives. For merchants, once they have the brand "Liu Laogen", it means they have the golden key to open the market. It can be said that Zhao Benshan's TV plays provide a shortcut for "Liu Laogen" products to open the market quickly. The image of "Liu Laogen" has won high popularity and trust in the eyes of the national audience and is growing into a commercial reputation. Zhao Benshan and "Liu Laogen" are becoming the leaders of business culture in Northeast China.