FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Elaine Czach, International Trademark Association, 1133 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10036
1 (212) 642-1749, eczach@inta.org

 

SAATCHI & SAATCHI CEO WORLDWIDE SPEAKS ABOUT “LOVEMARKS” AT INTA/BNEF BRAND SYMPOSIUM

New York, NY, USA—March 4, 2002—Saatchi & Saatchi CEO Worldwide Kevin Roberts spoke Thursday, February 28, about the importance of “lovemarks” and branding.  The two-day program, sponsored by the International Trademark Association (INTA) and the Brand Names Education Foundation (BNEF), took place at the Millennium Broadway Hotel in New York City. 

 

“Lovemarks are the future beyond branding,” Roberts said.  “They are the charismatic brands that people love and fiercely protect.  Lovemarks are super-evolved brands.”  He cited Harley Davidson, iMac and McDonald’s as examples of effective lovemarks. 

 

Roberts explained the Love/Respect Axis, his concept that explains why brands possessing too little of one or the other quality ultimately fail to reach their potential.  “Lovemarks are inclusive,” he said.  “They want it all.  Forget ‘either/or.’  It’s ‘and/and.’ Love and respect.  Heart and mind.  Emotion and reason.  Local and global.  It’s time to put the ‘and’ back into brand.”

 

Roberts has been CEO for Saatchi & Saatchi, one of the world’s top 10 advertising agencies, since 1997.  He recently became the inaugural CEO in residence at Cambridge University’s business school, and is also a senior fellow at the University of Waikato in New Zealand, where he coaches MBA students and undergraduates.   

 

The “Battle for the Brand” symposium included presentations on brand equity, pioneer brands, experiential brands and becoming a brand lawyer.  Attendee Mr. Luay Abu-Ghazaleh of Abu-Ghazaleh Intellectual Property in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, said, “I will definitely apply the marketing principles I learned to the services that my firm offers. I have always considered quality and timeliness of service to be important, but will now consider the various ‘touch points’ as well. What appealed to me the most about Mr. Roberts' keynote address was the love/respect dynamic for trademarks and how it parallels real life.”

 

About INTA

The International Trademark Association (INTA) is an association of more than 4,000 trademark owners and professionals, in more than 150 countries, dedicated to the support and advancement of trademarks and related intellectual property as elements of fair and effective national and international commerce. For more information on the association and its goals, visit the INTA website at www.inta.org. 

About BNEF

The Brand Names Education Foundation (BNEF) is a publicly funded, non-profit organization whose mission is to advance worldwide knowledge of the nature, purpose and value of brands and the responsibilities associated with their use. In support of this mission, the Foundation supports research related to the use, role and legal protection of trademarks and brands, and sponsors numerous programs and initiatives which seek to educate businesses, consumers, educators, public and private agencies, students and the public at large. For more information on the foundation and its goals, visit the BNEF website at www.bnef.org.

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Photo Caption: Saatchi & Saatchi CEO Worldwide Kevin Roberts speaks about “lovemarks” at the INTA/BNEF Symposium.