Kate Swaine gave the 10^th Kay Uwe Jonas memorial lecture on the topic of “the future of the brand conversation” at the MARQUES Spring Meeting in Amsterdam last week.

Kate is a partner of Gowling WLG in London and a member of the MARQUES IP Emerging Issues Team.

In her speech, she noted that “at this moment in time the future feels very uncertain” due to socio/economic, geo-political, ideological, cultural and technological change and division.

“We are not the first to experience that and we will not be the last. What makes our current experience very different to those that came before us is the extent to which we and our clients, our companies, our brands are part of the conversation and have a role to play,” said Kate.

For example, she said a quick internet search revealed calls for boycotts of brands including Kellogg's, HP, McDonald’s, Bud Light, Zara, Target, Disney and Pepsi. This shows that brands have an important role to play and that they need to engage with consumers.

Kate quoted the writer and podcaster Adam Morgan, who argues that brands have become dull, and they need to work harder to stand out and be authentic.

“We have talked at length at MARQUES about green-washing, brand values, sustainability in packaging, and supply chains. Consumers want to understand the ethical and environmental credentials of the brands that they invest in. Consumer research commissioned by Quickfire Digital and Climbing Trees identified that four in five UK consumers (81%) will boycott apparel brands who do not prioritise sustainable fashion within the next two years,” she said.

This is shown by consumers’ desire for vintage, repurposed goods; traditional techniques; quality ingredients; and a social conscience. Examples of brands embracing these trends include Tony’s Chocolonely and Guinness, with its Nitrosurge pouring device.

The question for brand owners, said Kate, is: “How do you do it? How do you play an effective part in the brand conversation?” She offered five contributions to the conversation:

1. Authenticity
2. Story-telling
3. Focus on the bridges not the river banks
4. Listen to the conversation
5. Be bold

Kate concluded: “Changing times deliver challenge but they also deliver opportunity to create something better. We all need to be part of that conversation.”

Read the text of Kate’s Kay Uwe Jonas lecture on the MARQUES website.

David Goldring Award

Also during the meeting, the David Goldring Volunteer Award was presented to Patricia McGovern of DFMG Solicitors in Ireland (right). Patricia is currently Chair of the MARQUES Dispute Resolution Team and has been part of several Teams and Annual Conferences during the past two decades.

Over 200 MARQUES Council and Team members attended the Spring Meeting, which also included a workshop on trade mark use.

Next year’s Spring Meeting will be held in Barcelona on 13 and 14 March.

Photos by Willem Leppink and James Nurton