The saying, “Happiness comes in a little blue box” did not come out of nowhere. This, in fact, arose from decades of marketing that helped to reinforced consumers’ association between Tiffany & Co. (the brand) and what we now know as “Tiffany Blue” (their registered color trademark). Clearly, like so many other non-color trademarks – Nike’s “Just do it” or Tory Burch’s mirrored Ts for instance – this blue signifies and embodies Tiffany & Co.
Its website even states that this color has been used to advertise its jewelry since 1878. This blue has had more than 100 years of exposure, and that’s how consumers today have come to learn what this unique shade of blue means. Why is this important today? It seems that the company that has been delivering happiness and smiles with its little blue boxes fears that its registered color trademark could be jeopardy if shoe designer Christian Louboutin loses his red-sole trademark in his lawsuit with Yves Saint Laurent.
This week, Tiffany & Co. filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in support of Christian Louboutin; the brief provides extra argument as to why the court should rule in favor of Louboutin. We’ve covered this case with each new development, and now it’s appropriate to look and see how this case will affect trademark and marketing if Louboutin loses.
Look at the icons below and think about how much of the marketing of a color plays into your consumer association between that color and the brand.
What can brown do for you?
Any farmer could spot this bright green color from a mile away.
Would sipping on your iced caramel macchiato be the same without a green straw?
Imagine your childhood toy sans her wardrobe and accessories of bright pink.
Interesting way of looking at the Louboutin issue. I’m almost positive that “Barbie Pink” is a registered trademark of Mattel and Barbie. It even has it’s own pantone number, but I don’t remember what it is. I’m pretty sure it can’t be used by other doll manufacturers though.
Posted by Heather Fonseca | November 4, 2011, 6:19 pmHi Heather,
You’re completely correct. “Barbie Pink” is a registered trademark . . . as are all the other icons posted. Amazing at what color can do for a brand, right? Thanks for posting!
Posted by Linna | November 5, 2011, 12:35 amI get why this is of such importance to Louboutin (and possibly other companies), but it still feels wrong to me. Trademarks protect brands, fine, but at what point do trademarks and ownership start killing creativity?
Posted by Shophopper | November 6, 2011, 1:25 pmOh, and congrats on the feature.
Posted by Shophopper | November 6, 2011, 1:26 pmThanks for posting on this! I’m interested to see what ends up happening…!
Corinne xo
Posted by Corinne | November 15, 2011, 6:21 pm