The landscape for food and beverage brands is changing due to increased health consciousness among consumers who more often tend to prefer healthier options to traditional choices. The change in consumer preferences has, on one hand, created uncertainty among established brands and forced them to change and innovate to remain competitive. On the other hand, it has created opportunities for new companies to enter the market and conquer consumer loyalty.
Both defined as trademark-intensive industries, the food and beverage industries register more marks per year relative to other industries, a measure then offset for accuracy by the total number of employees working in these two sectors.
The high level of competition for consumer attention on the part of manufacturers and retailers, coupled with the nature of the products being sold, make product packaging particularly important in the food processing industry. Also known as trade dress, product packaging and product design create a strong standout in the field and serve as a powerful marketing tool for both online and traditional businesses.
By virtue of seeking protection for their brands through the trademark system, smaller and bigger companies expand great efforts to defend their turf in trademark disputes. Trademark litigation, which is common in the food and beverage industries, can cause irreversible damage to smaller, younger, companies entering the market. It is, therefore, imperative for such companies to carefully consider their choice of trademarks and trade dress before making significant investments in business operations.