A ‘cap’ on brand originality

An issue that brand custodian’s struggle with is building a brand that is visually remarkable and leaves a lasting impression on a customer’s mind. This is precisely why a memorable brand logo, a unique name and a catchy tagline can play an important role in brand recall. However, brands tend to over-populate the market, resulting in clutter in every consumer-facing sector. Interestingly, an ad from a company in the service industry caught our eye in its bid to stand out from copycat brands.

Copycats — an issue that Agarwal Packers and Movers takes quite seriously. On their website, there is a page dedicated to a detailed article based on the different ways in which customers have been inconvenienced by copycat brands who bear the same name but give the end customers a bad experience.

Their website also states an example when even the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) got confused between the brand identity of the original Agarwal Packers and Movers and a copycat company. “They had received a complaint on a fake company (Agarwal d2d Packers and Movers), which is similar and identical to our trade name and nowhere belongs to Agarwal Packers and Movers Ltd. Therefore, customers are advised to verify the brand before handing over your valuable belongings for moving,” says the website.

Agarwal's website also claims that these companies go the extra mile and procure forged documents. “They attract customers by claiming to have possession of all the relevant documents such as ID cards, visiting cards, pamphlets, etc., which could easily pass the eyes of a layman by as the genuine ones,” reads the blog

In the case of a lesser known brand such as Agarwal Packers and Movers, they have made an effort to educate the consumer on how to differentiate between the original business and a copycat brand. In cases of more well known consumer-facing FMCG brands, the difference between the original brand and knock-offs becomes quite obvious. Below are some hilarious examples.