COVER STORY
Winter 2018 / Issue 56
Motivation index for the use of trademarks
In conditions where there is
a lack of an effective system of
protection of GIs, the previous
research cites the protection of
trademarks as alternative strategy
for production differentiation of
wines, primarily because of het-
erogeneity. Accordingly, wineries
use trademarks with the highest
level of significance for Protection
against abuse or imitation on the
domestic or international market
(90.4%), and then for Building con-
sumer recognition (90.3%).
Higher intensity occurs in the
trademark protection index, which
is correlated with the current state
of the wine market in Macedonia
and the efforts of the wineries
to build recognition through the
development of individual brands.
However, the wineries involved in
the analysis showed a high aware-
ness of the need and benefits of
protecting GIs. They express this
through the high awareness of
the significance of the functions
of the geographical indications.
One aspect is the perception
of the need for protection from
abuse on international markets.
The next aspect is the focus on
consumers and the provision of
quality assurance. In addition to
these, the social aspect is of par-
ticular importance because of the
benefits of collective approach
and promotion, by building a rep-
utation in a geographical region
protected by a trademarked geo-
graphical indication or a protected
designation of origin.
Specific Quality Logo
Awards displayed on the bottle
Intensity of impact on quality signs when buying wine
(1-nay, 5th highest level of significance)
In terms of demand, consumers have a central role in the
concept of geographical indications by preventing market dis-
tortions arising from the asymmetry of information available to
them. From a consumer perspective, the establishment of the
GI system means the use of specific logos that guarantee the
quality of the product. According to a survey that included a total
of 715 wine consumers in 2013 and 2014, 68% of the respon-
dents experience the recognizable geographic region as a sign of
quality and a motive for buying wine. Additionally, the intensity of
the influence on the specific quality logo and rewards marked on
the bottle itself, in the largest percentage (32% and 29%), has an
intermediate level of significance.
Consumers are the ultimate participant in a successful GI sys-
tem by which the market value of products of protected geo-
graphical origin is valorized. The use of appropriate quality logos
can influence the reduction of information asymmetryas mecha-
nisms for guaranteeing the quality of the product for consumers.
AmCham Macedonia Magazine
15