Brand protection | 71Watermarking cloudsDigimarc presses forward with ambitious plans to help brands combat counterfeiting and give consumers complete visibility of their purchases. Piotr Wnuk reportsS-based Digimarc Corporation is a leading provider of enterprise software and services, which includes digital identifers such as serialized QR codes designed to Uaddress counterfeiting, product authenticity and supply chain traceability. Digimarc products are created for multiple industries such as apparel, consumer packaged goods, health and beauty Introducing and automotive.L&L readers might be familiar with the watermarking technology developed by Digimarc to track and increase recycling accuracy. It was ultimately chosen as the most effective way of improving post-consumer recycling through more effective material sorting by the collaborative HolyGrail project, established under the auspices our latest of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.Unlocking visibility According to a report which Digimarc carried out with independent research frm Digimarc’s ambition reaches further than solving problems of Censuswide, consumers’ desire for authentic products isn’t limited to luxury goodsrecyclable waste. The company cemented its drive to develop the next generation of digital identifcation and detection-based evolution“Being able to verify that a product technology in November 2021 with the acquisition of London-based cloud company Evrythng.is authentic is now important to 73 ‘This acquisition allowed us to provide a complete solution set to our customers,’ says Riley McCormack, CEO of Digimarc. ‘The percent of consumers and over half best determinant of a technology product’s value is how much of the customer’s problem it can solve. By combining Digimarc’s said transparency into how and unique and advanced means of identifcation with the advanced Scan here to see supplier business intelligence using any means of identifcation, we where a product was made was key are now uniquely positioned to unlock additional solutions for our ABG’s new SRIto their purchasing decisions”customers and enhance their Digimarc journey.’‘Not only are our products and technology competencies directly complementary and naturally connected, but our company their purchasing decisions,’ says Ken Sickles, chief product offcer at values and cultures are deeply aligned, with a focus on executing Digimarc. ‘Furthermore, with 45 percent of consumers concerned as a team, committing to audacious goals, and genuine innovation about which country a product has come from and 38 percent with exceptional talent,’ adds Niall Murphy, CEO and co-founder advising that they consider the number of miles it has traveled, of Evrythng. brands cannot escape the high demand to better demonstrate and Evrythng pioneered Product Cloud category technology, linking communicate their integrity and values to consumers.’ every product to its Active Digital Identity on the web and joining The fndings highlight how brands must do more to protect data across the value chain for visibility, validation, real-time their integrity and limit their exposure to the damaging impact intelligence and connection with people. counterfeit products can have on consumers, as well as their own Combining Digimarc’s unique means of identifcation with reputation. Still, a third (36 percent) cite diffculties in getting the Evrythng Product Cloud makes it possible to gather and critical information on claims from the brands they shop with about apply traceability data from across the product lifecycle, their products’ authenticity, origin, ingredients or sustainability. unlocking end-to-end visibility and authenticity through Being able to track the product along the supply chain, see item-level, real-time intelligence, and analytics. This technological the package journey and scanning a QR code to prove it also combination unlocked the full potential of data, from enabling appealed, with 64 percent saying they’d happily scan a QR code more sustainable, transparent and secure supply chains to if it gave them the information quickly and easily, and 52 percent empowering consumers to verify the authenticity of products and of millennials saying they’ve used QR codes more over the last recyclability of their packaging. two years. ‘The challenge brands face from counterfeiters is multifaceted How worried are consumers? with sales online, the altering of packaging and product labels, as Consumers’ desire for authentic products isn’t limited to luxury well as infringement of intellectual property,’ comments Sickles. goods. They expect the products they buy for themselves and ‘The need to address counterfeiting is no longer just about their families to be the real deal. A new report by Digimarc carried protecting brand reputation. It is also about protecting consumers’ out across 4,000 consumers by an independent research frm health and safety and must be addressed. Censuswide explores what brand integrity and values mean to ‘As this research highlights, consumers also have a vested interest consumers and shows that they are more critical than ever before. in ensuring the products they purchase are authentic, with nearly The latest in inspection slitter rewinding technology‘Being able to verify that a product is authentic is now important half of respondents saying it would help them feel reassured they to 73 percent of consumers and over half (59 percent) said are purchasing an authentic product if they had a way to check transparency into how and where a product was made was key to the manufacturer’s claims. It’s hugely positive, therefore, to see Contact us: +44 1262 671 138 | info@abgint.com abgint.comJul - Sep 2022