Protecting Consumers with Genuine Cigarettes

Some products we consume are more susceptible to counterfeiting, and unregulated fakes can include toxic, unregulated ingredients. But there are technological solutions capable of reducing the volume of counterfeits.

Background

An international tobacco brand wanted to protect their consumers against fake facsimiles of their popular cigarettes. Prior to partnering with Digimarc, counterfeit cigarettes comprised nearly 10 percent of regional sales. The company lost sales worth an estimated $60M+, consumer confidence in the company was declining and substantial local tax revenue was lost.

Challenge

The market was being flooded by counterfeit cigarettes with unknown ingredients. Citizens were calling for the government and other big industry names to do something to curb the problem.

Approach

The brand partnered with Digimarc with the intention of protecting its products. They now add a covert digital watermark to nearly 2 billion units per year. Through our technology, this has allowed the products to be able to be fully authenticated, creating a safer product for consumers and boosting confidence in genuine goods.

Nearly 2 billion units per year feature covert Digimarc digital watermarks for protection and authenticity

 

Outcome

As a result of this partnership with Digimarc, consumers are now able to check the legitimacy of products with a mobile app, while geolocation data shows the brand where illegal items are sold, significantly reducing the counterfeit volume.