Fighting
Replica Watches With Hidden Laser Images & Nanostructuring
The
fashion-marketing environment is comprised of micro and macro environments.
This article is a great example of how companies are affected by one of the aspects
of the microenvironment - competition. Competition is something fashion
marketers have no control over, especially if the competition is not in its
healthiest form. By that I mean the illegal sales of the replica merchandise
that affects a lot of industries. One of the greatly affected areas is the
watch industry. Counterfeit products are sold in enormous quantities around the
globe, which take away the profits from the companies. Therefore, there are
laws and regulations that help fight against production and resale of such
goods. Counterfeit products could also damage the overall image of the company
because most people would think if a product could be produced cheaper and
still look the same, what is the point of buying something of the same quality
but more expensive?
So companies try
to come up with various ways to help consumers feel more secure by buying their
products. They emphasize the importance of the benefits their products have
over the fake ones, and also stress the importance of the corporate social
responsibity. For example, most of the fake products are being made in
factories with poor working conditions and other activities, which are not
favorable in the US (like child labor, or long hours with poor compensation).
In this case a well-known Swiss Watch company Carl F. Bucherer decided it was
high time to implement new technology that would help identify real watches
from fakes. Technology is a part of macroenvironment and organizations have to
go along with the development of new processes in order to stay competitive.
This is why this company decided to utilize Mimotec SA’s CLR-LIGA process – a
combination of two recent technologies that helps the companies to fight
against replica watches by inscribing a certain image on the movement of the
watch that could only be visible if a laser is pointed at it. The image cannot
be replicated so it becomes the identification point for the watch. It could be
the serial number or a logo of a company.
This is a true
breakthrough in the watchmaking business. I have been working in this industry
for the last 6 years. This is not really a long time but my only concern is why
Carl F. Bucherer but not Rolex, which decided to utilize this method? How many
times have we heard about fake Carl F. Bucherer watch sold or bought on Canal Street
in New York? We see at least 20 different replica watches that are brought to
us to be checked for authenticity. Brands like Audemars Piguet, Hublot,
Panerai, Breitling and of course Rolex are the most replicated. I can only
imagine how much profit those companies lost because of this sort of
competition.
All things
considered, utilizing this technology will not only benefit Carl F. Bucherer
but also its customers who could feel more secure about the purchase. Most
likely if the technology proves to be effective other brands would also start
working with Mimotec SA. I think Mimotec just needed a company to introduce the
technology into the market. Let us see if other luxury brands will see benefits
from this process.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/arieladams/2014/05/28/fighting-replica-watches-with-hidden-laser-images-nanostructuring/
