The nomination is accompanied by an interview with Vesa Vainio, Marketing Manager, Confectionery på Panda (Orkla Finland).
What does the nomination for the Signumpriset mean to you and your company?
- The nomination signals that we have done good, high-quality, and exemplary work in protecting our brands – and in particular the Panda brand.
- It shows that our investments in trademark protection have been recognized and validates that the work we do is important for the value of our brand.
- It confirms that our efforts to safeguard our trademarks have been noticed and are appreciated.
- It also communicates to competitors and the market that we are serious about the Panda brand and its protection.
- Panda brand is very important to us, and we are committed to protecting, nurturing, and developing it.
How would you describe the strength of your brand protection and brand management?
- A clear trademark strategy and well-defined guidelines for different situations – our ways of working – make it easier for everyone who works with the Panda brand, both internal teams and external partner.
- Proactive trademark and domain name monitoring, supported by a strong partner, enables us to identify issues early and address them promptly.
- Active enforcement against infringements in line with our trademark strategy.
- Consistent, ongoing collection of proof of use of Panda trademark internationally is also very import and allows us to react quickly in opposition and infringement cases, because our proof of use is gathered systematically and is up to date and ready to be used in the proceedings if necessary.
Have you experienced copying or imitation of your brand?
- We have noticed that Panda is a very popular name, and through active trademark monitoring we have effectively been able to react and stop near-identical and closely similar trademarks for identical confectionery and snack products. Active monitoring and trademark registrations have enabled us to address infringements effectively.
- The distinctive look and design of our packaging and our licorice candy are also key elements of our brand protection. We have protected the visual appearance of our packaging through EU design registrations and, for example, the shape of our licorice candy as 3D trademark registrations and have been able to effectively react to copies also with the help of these registered rights.
- The design of our licorice piece has also been granted the Design from Finland mark by the Association for Finnish Work. This is the first time the Association has awarded the mark to a design used in a confectionery product. Finnish companies that invest in professional, user-centric design can apply for the Design from Finland mark.
