Who Owns the Brand?
Example: Walk us through a specific example(s) of how this solution makes a difference; include its primary activities.
Marketplace: Who else is addressing the problem outlined here? How does the proposed project differ from these approaches?
Founding Story
Markus
Our team comprises of three core members.
I am myself a marketing scholar (PhD in Marketing) with extensive marketing consulting, research, and teaching experience in both undergraduate and post-graduate programs.
My two teammates operate and own a dynamic low-cost e-retailing business in Hong Kong and China. Their more specific expertise relates to e-retail software development, customer relationship management (CRM), and product sourcing in China. More importantly, their current e-retailing business gives this venture well-functioning organizational processes, which can be directly leveraged to benefit this new venture.
Having researched and taught marketing subjects at various universities, I am all too aware of how consumer marketing (as propaganda) often hinders progressive social and economic development. Yet, I believe this is to be largely a result of ignorance and lack of imagination. Accordingly, I have a professional interest in inspiring better marketing strategies that can genuinely enhance our societies. This passion is share by my team members.
This charitable business plan has been specifically designed to derive maximal social benefit from the organizational capabilities at our disposal. This includes the preexisting e-retailing, product sourcing and customer service processes. Accordingly, we can quickly kick-start this venture with minimal investment and product development.
, XX, Kowloon
Consumer Products
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Idea (you're poised to launch)
This innovative solution stems from our vision of the future of consumer branding:
Our vision is that inter-active marketing communications will give charitable brands a considerable cost advantage, in comparison to today's non-progressive TV-era brands. This will result in an inevitable redistribution of market share and in favor of charitable brands. We believe that direct ownership of consumer brands will yield the maximal social and economic benefits.
At this point in time, we are only about to launch this business venture. Hence, up-to-date, our impact has been primarily to be a message of hope: There is a meaningful and plausible way to peacefully improve consumer societies, while operating within the existing social structures and market mechanisms.
We believe that if consumers are given an informed choice between two similar brands, most of then can be made to choose the brand that is owned by their favorite charity. In short, "Who Owns the Brand" matters. This can be facilitated by mass-customized e-retailing and branding.
It is this simple change in brand preferences that can result in substantial improvement in the financial position of hundreds of small charities. In addition, we believe that changes in brand ownership will result in more progressive advertisements, and corresponding positive changes in consumer aspirations and consumption patterns.
As with any new venture, it is difficult to make accurate projections or our future impact. Nevertheless, over the next 1-3 years we will seek to influence two inter-related customer segments:
1. Charities: During the first three years our objective is to recruit hundreds of charitable organizations as members in our movement. Importantly, all products sold will directly enhance the financial prospects of small charities. But as with any branding project, these brands will also require considerably more than three years to achieve their full potential.
2. Consumer attitudes: We will seek to gradually increase consumer consciousness regarding the profound the importance of brand ownership. Here our 3 year objective is to establish a core follower base among young consumer activists.
As a facilitator of charitable retailing operations, our mission is to pass as much of the value added to our charity clients as possible. Yet, to protect our own survival as a commercial entity, we need to periodically evaluate the mark-up which is required to sustain our own survival and growth, while ensuring a continuous improvement in the service we provide.
This venture has been specifically designed to maximally benefit from our preexisting capabilities, including the skills of the founding members and affiliated organizations processes. As a result, there is very limited need for product development or investment in operation processes.
The primary need for financing relates to the sales function of the firm. As a result, there will be an initial funding gap, particular during the first 6 months of operations.
In addition to the sales function, our other costs are directly tied to our level of sales. As a charitable entity, we have negotiated to buy these services at a low price that only covers the suppliers direct costs. As we benefit from preexisting infrastructure, we have no fixed costs.
We expect this venture to break-even within the first year of its operations.
As this venture will be structures as a "Corporation Limited by Guarantee", we will not have the possibilities to raise share capital to finance our growth. Instead, this venture serves the interests of its members, the charitable organizations. These organizations will pay a small annual fee to maintain their membership. In addition, we will seek to acquire Corporate Support Members, and Individual Support Members who can offer their skills and resources to further the cause of this venture. In addition, our underlying charitable clients may have members with the right skills to further improve the service we are offering our clients, such as software coding skills.
The launch of this project relies upon the technical and operational support of a preexisting affiliated e-retailing business. This operational support allows us to launch this venture with very limited product development costs or investment in expensive facilities. Also, we benefit from the preexisting operational efficiencies, which will have a material impact in ensuring the operational success of this project.
As we are in the very early stages, it is too early to say.