72 | Brand protectionBeing able to track the product along the supply chain to see the package The Brand Integrity Solution aims to protect brand reputations by giving every product journey by scanning a QR code appealed to 64 percent of respondents a digital presence connected to a cloud-based record of its journey and interactions“The need to address counterfeiting is no longer just about protecting brand reputation. It is also about protecting consumers’ health and safety”that nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of respondents would happily wasteful global food supply chain, enable e-commerce, and protect scan a QR code if it gave them the information quickly and goods transported worldwide. easily. Adopting this technology will enable brands to unite with The partnership is projected to bring product digitization to their consumers, keeping their products real and protecting their markets like food proteins, eCommerce fulfllment, industrials reputation.’ and consumer goods at scale through smart packaging. Product digitization will allow brands to maximize the value of every Authentication simplifed package to deliver on consumer demands for authenticity, To answer those worries, Digimarc went a step further and, in May sustainability and personalized consumer experiences. Product 2022, added its watermarking technology to the newly developed digitization will also drive operational improvements by illuminating Brand Integrity Solution, which gives brands and their customers a product’s supply chain journey.more sophisticated and fexible ways to verify the authenticity ‘Brand owners understand that physical products are powerful, of products. direct-to-consumer communication channels. Digimarc’s new joint The company’s data-driven approach involves assigning each offering with Sealed Air makes the brand-consumer connection product a serialized digital identity that can be tracked in the cloud easier than ever,’ claims Curt Schacker, global head of digital and accessed through various on-package digital triggers, including printing and packaging at Digimarc. ‘Smart packaging also allows the secure and covert digital watermark. for smart supply chains, enabling operational effciencies not ‘As counterfeiters have become more sophisticated and supply available with the status quo. We chose to partner with Sealed Air chains more diffuse, companies are recognizing that traditional because of the company’s leadership in printing variable, serialized brand protection approaches largely reactive and reliant on trained fexible packaging at mass scale, a cornerstone of any smart inspectors and specialized equipment are both ineffective and packaging initiative.’ ineffcient,’ notes Sickles. ‘We created a unique digital solution that ‘The work we are doing with Sealed Air enables consumers to leverages the ubiquity of smartphones and other digital devices confrm product authenticity, access product origin and provenance to make product authentication much more streamlined and less information, and verify critical sustainability information that prone to human error.’ today’s consumers crave in the quest for brand integrity and Moreover, Digimarc’s support of dual-factor authentication, such circularity,’ adds Schacker.as scanning QR codes and digital watermarks on a single package, ‘By combining Digimarc’s leading product digitization platform provides a strong defense against bad actors accustomed to easily and watermarking technology with our new digital printing and circumventing lesser brand protection measures. packaging solution, prismiq, and our proven packaging expertise, we ‘Digitizing products with QR codes is a great starting point,’ adds are expediting our digital packaging efforts to deliver a complete, Sickles. ‘But, when coupled with a robust product cloud and covert end-to-end solution for brands and consumers,’ confrms Carrie digital watermarks, brands can gain even greater visibility into their Giaimo, vice president of digital business development at Sealed Air. products and offer their consumers the chance to do the same.’ Smart packaging allows every product to be ‘born digital’ at Companies lack actionable intelligence about several product the time of manufacture. By giving every product item a unique attributes without a singular source for product data. The Digimarc digital identity in the product cloud, brands can fully beneft Brand Integrity Solution aims to protect their reputations by from product digitization. It ensures a product’s authenticity, giving every product a digital presence connected to a cloud-based improves circularity, powers a smarter supply chain, and opens an record of its journey and interactions. This can prove a product’s owned-media channel for direct-to-consumer engagement and the authenticity, uncover counterfeits and their origin, and provide delivery of contextualized experiences. At the same time, brands insight into a product’s supply chain so that brands can anticipate receive invaluable, real-time data intelligence to drive future sales, issues and act fast. marketing, and other critical business strategies.Theory in productionIn June 2022, Digimarc partnered with Sealed Air, a company For more information about Digimarc’s Brand Integrity established to solve critical packaging challenges. Its automated Solution, visit www.digimarc.com/solutions/retail-brand/packaging systems help promote a safer, more resilient, and less brand-protectionlabelsandlabeling.com