While the coronavirus infection is spreading again, the Tokyo Olympics are begining. For this Olympics, there has been no shortage of topics in the media, including problems and scandals related to its hosting and operation.

In this Olympics, most of the competitions will be held in spectator-free venues due to concerns about the risk of corona infection, but some competitions will be held with limited spectators. In Kashima City, Ibaraki Prefecture, where the soccer games will be held, only local elementary and junior high school students will be allowed to watch the games. How lucky they are! However, the school received a flood of complaints about the document they sent to the parents of the children.

The document instructed that all drinks brought into the stadium should be Coca-Cola products as much as possible, and that if they were other companies’ products, the labels should be removed. This was probably done in consideration of Coca-Cola’s sponsorship of the Tokyo Olympics. Since UNIQLO is also a sponsor, they may be expected to go to the games wearing UNIQLO clothes. This kind of action may result in giving the sponsor a negative image.

Bottle shape design that functions as a trademark

By the way, the reason why they demanded that the labels of the products be removed was probably because they wanted to avoid having the trademarks (product names and company names) of other companies’ products appear on the TV screen.

However, there are some products that can be identified even if the label is removed. For example, if the shape of the beverage bottle is distinctive, consumers may know which product it is without having to check the product name on the bottle. The continued use of a distinctive shape over the years may allow consumers to associate the shape with the source of the product.

For example, do you recognize the beverage in the bottle on the right?

Yes, it’s Coca-Cola!

In fact, this shape of the bottle (without the words “Coca Cola” on it) was registered as a trademark in Japan in 2009 (Trademark Registration No. 5225619).

The Coca-Cola Company has succeeded in creating an association in the minds of consumers that a bottle with this shape is Coca-Cola, and has made the bottle their brand symbol and trademark.

As you can see, shape design not only enhances the aesthetics of a product, but can also help with branding. Why don’t you check how the shape design of your product provides added value?

Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed this post, I’d appreciate it if you’d help it spread by emailing it to a friend, or sharing it on social media. Thanks!