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Octane5 and Crane Currency Transforming Product Authentication
Nov. 9, 2021 | Publications
Octane5, the company behind BrandComply licensing software, recently announced a new partnership with Crane Currency for product authentication hang tags and labels. We caught up with Tod Niedeck, Marketing Director of Crane Currency and Mike Dunn, President of Octane5 to learn more about this exciting collaboration.
TOTAL: Let’s start with the basics, what does this new partnership mean for the licensing industry?
Mike Dunn: It means that for the first time ever, the licensing industry will have access to the highest levels, most cutting edge product authentication technologies – those currently used in the world’s most secure currencies. Best of all, this technology can be customized for each brand owner to deliver stunning visual effects and unparalleled consumer connectivity.
TOTAL: How did this Crane and Octane5 partnership come together?:
Mike Dunn: We have been fans of Crane technology since we first saw it in the US $100 bill. We knew that technology could have an incredible impact in the licensing world.
Tod Niedeck: Similarly, we’ve been fans of what Octane5 has been doing with marketing-based security. On the service-side, they bring great value to their customers, on the authentication-side they have always understood that product security requires two parts: technologies that are very difficult to simulate or reverse-engineer, and effects consumers understand and find easy to use. We knew the Octane5 approach combined with our technology would be a winning combination.
TOTAL: But hasn’t Octane5 been supporting brands with security hang tags and labels in the licensing space for years?
Mike Dunn: Yes, we have through our Threads technology which involved a holographic thread woven into security paper. Those programs have been incredibly successful in protecting some of the most iconic brands in the world like Ford, General Motors and Harley-Davidson. This new partnership allows us to bring these programs to the next level and deliver even more value to these and other brands.
TOTAL: So how does the Crane technology advance product authentication?
Tod Niedeck: Through this partnership, we can help Octane5 deliver to its customers security feature solutions that exhibit never-before-seen visual effects. What we’re most excited about is the opportunity to exercise the flexibility of our micro-optics technology to leverage each brand owner logo to create distinct, customized feature solutions. Our proprietary micro-optics technology allows for the creation of stunning effects, including very strong three-dimensional movement in which customized elements appear to move below the surface of the feature by several millimeters. These are super easy for consumers to authenticate although they are intriguing enough that many take additional time to examine them. In comparison to other brand protection technologies, such as holograms that are looking increasingly dated, Crane’s production authentication features achieve a much higher level of engagement.
TOTAL: Through the samples you have here, I can see this has an incredible appearance, but how does that help protect the brand?
Tod Niedeck: Well the first step to any successful product authentication program is to give the consumer a quick and unambiguous means to know that the product is legitimate. As consumers we are happy to pay a premium for brands that inspire our trust. With the proliferation of online shopping and increasing infiltration of fakes, the need for this assurance is growing. Security features built for the consumer is an important part of modern product authentication.
Mike Dunn: Taking that one step further, once you’ve got the consumer engaged with this cool technology, you want to start a dialogue. So we layer on QR code for validation and consumer engagement. We deliver marketing content, ask questions, build focus groups, allow consumers to play games, tell your brand’s sustainability story. Whatever a brand wants to share with, or learn from, their consumers, we make it happen.
TOTAL: Sounds like an incredible partnership. Where should folks go if they want to learn more?
Mike Dunn: They can visit us in Stand C220 at Brand Licensing Europe 17-19 November at ExCeL London where we look forward to sharing even more information. If you’re not going to the show, we can meet during the online show or email info@octane5.com or visit Octane5.com/authentication for more information.
Read the original article here on pages 54-55.