We thank all of the participants for contributing and sharing their expertise with us. Member companies are randomly chosen each month to participate as a way to connect and educate our member community. To view our previous member spotlights, click here.
Feature Spotlight
Congratulations to Jennie Martel, Colgate-Palmolive
IACC Executive Board Director and association member, Jennie Martel, was recognized by Colgate-Palmolive Company for her work in Sustainability. She was awarded a prestigious Colgate Chairman’s You Can Make a Difference (YCMAD) Award, which recognizes individuals that have made a significant difference to the organization. Congratulations, Jennie!
I was frustrated by the systematic and damaging manner in which counterfeits were being destroyed. So, I decided to do something about it. Once I had several proof of concept examples to support my vision, I developed and launched a global campaign called PASS. PASS is designed to promote the need for responsible disposal of counterfeits and other illicit products and encourage others to explore and carry out creative disposal solutions instead of resorting to archaic (but conventional) destruction methods that adversely affect people, pets and livestock, wildlife, and the environment.
What does the campaign focus on?
PASS is made up of four key areas: Preventing availability, Avoiding destructive practices, Supporting local communities, and Sharing successes. The campaign is helping to drive incremental and creative advances around the world. Products once destined to cause harm either as counterfeits or by the conventional methods used to destroy them are instead being used to help drive economic opportunities, forge business partnerships, and foster market equity to improve quality of life.
What resources are available to those who want to learn more about the PASS campaign or explore their own sustainable disposal solutions?
If you would like to learn more about the campaign or about what you can do within your own organization, I’m happy to discuss. Please contact me at jennie_martel@colpal.com.
What are the top 2 challenges in IP enforcement you see affecting your industry over the next year?
Traditionally the QR-Code, barcode and datamatrix code have been the go-to option for companies wanting to implement some form of track and trace to protect their IP. Unfortunately, these technologies are no longer viable for security applications and after the recent FBI warnings regarding QR-Code scams, brands will need to find an alternative solution if they are going to protect their customers and their own IT infrastructure from compromise. We know that the marketing teams love the QR-Code but at some point, security considerations are going to have to eliminate that option.
What is one way a brand with a mature IP enforcement program can take their efforts to the next level?
The mature brand protection teams already know that there is no silver bullet solution to IP protection, it requires a pragmatic, layered approach to overcome the actions of the sophisticated diverters and counterfeiters. As a vendor, our discussions with the mature brand protection teams are simple and straightforward, they know that the current whack-a-mole approaches are not solving the problems and more sophisticated technologies are required to raise the bar. Brands need to start securing their whole supply chain, starting when the PO is issued and have item level visibility all the way through to the end user.
What’s the best piece of advice you have ever been given?
A successful CEO and good friend gave me some great advice when I was starting iTRACE. It was really simple but has provided real benefit over the years. He said “Take good notes”…. It turns out you cant remember everything and have a great record or what was said or done can make life much easier.
What is one way a brand with a mature IP enforcement program can take their efforts to the next level?
One way a brand with a mature IP enforcement program can take their efforts to the next level is by being open to changes and suggestions from experts in the field, while still staying true to their core values. In a world that is so rapidly changing and evolving, one cannot continue to do the same old activities expecting to obtain the same results as those observed years ago. For an IP enforcement program to be successful, the brand that is behind it has to accept the need to reinvent themselves from time to time to be able to keep up with competitors, as well as with the counterfeiters and smugglers. Interestingly, the counterfeiters and smugglers are the most open to changes and continue to find new ways, armed with the ammunition provided by technology, to be able to evade LEA as best as possible.
How do you show your clients the value of brand protection?
A good way to show your clients the value of brand protection is by listening to their demands and attempting to help them achieve their goals, which will help them see with factual proof that the investment made on IP protection was valuable in the long run. Another good way to show the value of brand protection to reluctant clients is to encourage them to receive and provide feedback, which is guaranteed to be more positive once the brand decides to establish an active brand protection program, as the changes made on the inside tend to shine the brightest on the outside.
What’s your favorite famous or inspirational quote?
My favorite inspirational quote is a verse from a poem named “Desiderata”, registered by Max Ehrmann. Specifically, the following extract: “You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should”. This verse means a lot to me as it has been present throughout my whole life, starting from the poem being recited during my childhood by my late mother, to being present at my university’s walls during adverse times. The aforementioned quote reminds me that even during the hardest of time, when one is thinking of giving up, there is always a way out and that no matter how hard we complain when going through a hardship, that too was meant to happen as a way to forge our character and to help us achieve the real destiny that awaits us.