The Branding Bureau (BB) members who are comprised of relevant officials from the Department of Intellectual Property (DoIP) and the Department of Cottage and Small Industry (DCSI) held a virtual meeting with Mr. Giulio Zanetti, a branding expert hired by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and WIPO’s officials on January 19, 2021 to discuss and gather feedback on the draft Self-Help Branding Tool (SHTB) formulated. The SHTB encompasses eight comprehensive modules covering various aspects of branding viz. Preliminary Steps on Branding, IP components, Packaging, Marketing, etc. Upon finalization of the SHTB, it will be made available through DoIP’s website for interested entrepreneurs and the public to access the tool free of charge.
Subsequently, on January 20, the BB members had virtual consultations with Ms. Christelle Harb, an external consultant who has been hired by the WIPO to support consultations on the implementation of the Enabling Innovation Environment to Strengthen Competitiveness through Brands and Designs (EIE-BD) project in light of the current pandemic and beyond. The consultations focused on gathering views considering the prevailing pandemic situation viz. understanding the relevancy; factors enabling or constraining the implementation of the project; exploring alternatives and viable options for effective implementation; revision of targets and planning for 2021 delivery strategy of technical cooperation activities on the EIE-BD project by the WIPO.
The five-year EIE-BD project was signed between DoIP and WIPO on September 17, 2019. Some of the activities implemented under the project are as follows:
- Establishment of the Branding Bureau on April 26, 2019. The BB provides advisories to the interested local businesses on branding their products and services, covering both IP and non-IP related areas.
- Conducted national seminars and workshops for the business communities
- Capacity building and training for the BB members
- Development of branding strategy and packaging for the OGOP products (on-going)
- Development of Self-Help Branding tools for the entrepreneurs (on-going)