[Marketing] A label for Sugar distributions - plan to rework classic "ingredient" branding and include it in our trademark policy

[Walter Bender]

On Wed, Jan 13, 2010 at 1:47 PM, Walter Bender <walter.bender at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Wed, Jan 13, 2010 at 1:22 PM, Sean DALY <sdaly.be at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Marketers,
>>
>> We will soon complete the Sugar Labs trademark policy (draft is here:
>> http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/Sugar_Labs/Governance/Trademark). It's
>> been a topic of work and discussion in the past few SLOBs meetings.
>
> The working draft is on the Talk Page:
> http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/Talk:Sugar_Labs/Governance/Trademark#Sugar_Trademark_Policy
>
> There are also some draft usage guidelines here:
> http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/Sugar_Labs/Governance/Trademark/Guidelines
>
>> The goal of this policy is not just to protect Sugar Labs marks from
>> confusion, but to promote Sugar brand awareness. Specifically, to
>> avoid confusion over what precisely Sugar Labs and the Sugar on a
>> Stick "distribution" are, while encouraging other projects to build
>> and develop their own distributions with Sugar, especially liveUSB
>> solutions which have the best probability of overcoming the OS
>> installation barrier.
>>
>> The best way for an alternate self-contained Sugar distribution to
>> avoid confusion with Sugar and SoaS is to use a different name. Yet,
>> at the same time we need to build the Sugar brand name beyond Sugar
>> the project and Sugar on a Stick. And of course we wish to support all
>> distributions with Sugar (weak as the distro and desktop brands are).
>> How can we do this?
>>
>> My idea is to create a label program, licensing our marks. This is
>> sometimes called "ingredient marketing", defined as "an ingredient or
>> component of a product that has its own brand identity". It's an old
>> idea - Ray Dolby did it with sound equipment from the 1970s (1,2);
>> Intel had huge success with the "intel inside" marketing campaign
>> begun in 1991 (3,4,5). Other examples are TetraPak bricks, Shimano
>> bicycle parts, NutraSweet sweeteners, GoreTex fabric, DuPont's Teflon.
>>
>> Ray Dolby became fabulously rich with his licensing program. I propose
>> we turn the approach inside out and take inspiration from free
>> software licensing. With this approach, licensing of Sugar Labs
>> trademarks will be free, simple and easy as long as certain conditions
>> are respected by the licensee, in particular:
>>
>> * Sugar Labs be informed by e-mail to the trademark alias of the
>> project's sponsor, URL, contact information, and proposed project name
>> (not a name used by Sugar Labs, e.g. "Sugar on a Stick"), with
>> positive reply;
>> * The project's page not display Sugar marks too prominently, to avoid
>> confusion in visitors unaware of the SL site; the project's page links
>> to the SL website;
>> * SFC/Sugar Labs reserves the right to revoke the license
>> * others?
>>
>>
>> When would licensing not be routine, i.e. require consideration before
>> licensing?
>> * project name or logo or URL too close to our marks, risk of confusion
>> * insistence on association of another brand with Sugar
>> * inclusion of nonfree software with Sugar
>> * others?
>>
>>
>> What could motivate us to revoke a license?
>> * atrocious product quality with no bugfixing
>> * abandonment of a project (imagine the horror of a well-referenced
>> but old and unmaintained distro)
>> * confusing marketing, not respecting the spirit of our license
>> * using SL marks in conjunction with other marks in ways which could
>> imply SL partnership or endorsement which doesn't exist
>> * refusal to comply with Sugar software's licenses (GPL)
>> * others?
>>
>> Naturally, in the above cases we will want to reflect upon what
>> recourse we would have if a licensee started creating problems.
>>
>>
>> Intel achieved their fabulous brand awareness (Nr. 23 in the 2009
>> Millward Brown Brandz Top 100) mostly due to pharaonic advertising
>> spend. We won't have that budget, so we will be inventing cheaper and
>> more effective ways of supporting Sugar distributions. I believe a
>> label program can help us support a diverse group of Sugar projects,
>> growing the Sugar brand and increasing Sugar adoption in schools and
>> homes.
>>
>>
>> OK, after objectives, examples, and theory, comes the fun (and
>> difficult) part - choosing the label text - our "circled intel inside
>> sticker", if you will. I believe the best approach is to communicate
>> the *idea* of a remix or a spin, but without using those words (which
>> have DJ connotations); one of Sugar's brand values is playfulness, and
>> we get to call our remixes something different from everybody else :D.
>> So perhaps best to keep the sweet tooth association, such as has
>> served us well with ice cream flavors for SoaS versions:
>>
>> a sugar treat
>> a sugar confection
>> a sugar refinement
>> a sugar preparation
>> a sugar mix
>> a sugar concoction
>> a sugar recipe
>> a sugar formula
>> a sugar sprinkling
>> a sugar crystal
>>
>> Alternatively, a more technical word could work; it might even be
>> preferable, so that teachers understand that Sugar is computer
>> software, e.g.:
>>
>> a sugar construction
>> a sugar formation
>> a sugar creation
>> a sugar variety
>> a sugar variation
>> a sugar difference
>> a sugar combination
>> a sugar special
>>
>> I use the "a" article to imply there are others; but perhaps someone
>> has a different idea?
>
> "xxx sweeted by Sugar"???

or perhaps:

"xxx sweeted with Sugar"

>
>> Visually speaking, I would see our logo typeface (VAG Rounded Light)
>> with the word "sugar" being one of the random color combinations and
>> the other words in grey. The sugar mark will need the (R) of course,
>> and if the label is online it should link to the SL site, perhaps even
>> a page explaining what "a sugar xxx" is.
>>
>> Input greatly appreciated.
>>
>> Sean.
>>
>>
>> 1. http://www.law.northwestern.edu/journals/njtip/v2/n1/4/
>> 2. http://www.dolby.com/professional/technology/licensing/getting-licensed.html
>> 3. http://www.intel.com/pressroom/intel_inside.htm
>> 4. http://www.intangiblebusiness.com/Brand-Services/Marketing-Services/News/Ingredient-branding-case-study-Intel~466.html
>> 5. http://tpmtoday.blogspot.com/2007/04/thoughts-on-ingredient-marketing.html
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>>
>
> -walter
>
> --
> Walter Bender
> Sugar Labs
> http://www.sugarlabs.org
>



-- 
Walter Bender
Sugar Labs
http://www.sugarlabs.org