Counterfeiting in China is so endemic it is an enormous part of the country’s manufacturing sector. Counterfeiting is in the nation’s DNA and the government seems powerless to stem the illegal industry’s rise. Brand owners, especially those who own luxury brands, lost the battle against the fakers many years ago. From China you can buy a phony anything from a counterfeit iPad to a fake Van Gough, from imitation Marlboros to bogus Nikes.
Now, however, there may be a solution and it’s all thanks to an advertising agency’s attempt to protect its client’s brands.
Ad agency Leo Burnett, working with German print firm Heidelberger Druckmaschinen, created the 1-TAG, a high security tag that can be recognised by a mobile app.
The tag can be placed on any label and products can then be authenticated at every stage of their manufacture and distribution by simply taking a photo with a phone. The consumer is also involved and can use their smart phone to authenticate whatever they buy.
The security tag will be of interest to the world’s largest brands (both domestic and luxury) and should bring Leo Burnett some welcome, extra non-advertising revenues. It’s also a very smart tag. “To hack this one, you’d have to have incredible computing resources and super high-level security. Only a government would have the resources to do it,” said Jeff Bradley, Leo Burnett’s COO.

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