Welcome Address by Ms Liew Woon Yin at ‘Make Your Mark! 2004’ Grand Finals, at Ngee Ann Polytechnic

Welcome Address by Ms Liew Woon Yin, Director-General, Intellectual Property Office of Singapore at ‘Make Your Mark! 2004’ Grand Finals, at Ngee Ann Polytechnic on 18 Sept 2004

Mr Chia Mia Chiang, Principal, Ngee Ann Polytechnic
Mr David Griffith, Director, Ella Cheong Spruson & Ferguson
Ms Kitty Fong, General Manager, Nokia Private Limited
Distinguished Guests
Principals
Teachers
and Students

I am delighted to be here this morning for the Grand Finals of “Make Your Mark! 2004” – the 2nd national trade marks competition for schools. This unique ‘learn-and apply’ competition is into its second year running and I am glad to see more of our young, creative minds taking part.
Branding and trade marks have become indispensable tools for all businesses, be it a multi-national company or our local firms. They are representative of a company and more often than not, symbols that consumers identify with. It is through branding and trade marks that companies gain foothold in the market and eventually, in the global economy.
Phil Knight, founder and chairman of Nike Incorporation, once said, “Now we understand that the most important thing we do is to market. We’ve come around to saying that Nike is a marketing-oriented company, and the product is our most important marketing tool.” Phil Knight is not alone in acknowledging the power of branding.
For instance, our home-grown bakery chain, Breadtalk uses ingredients previously not thought of and produces bakery with not only a pleasant look but also complementing names. However its products are not the sole reason for its success. In fact, they are actually part of the company’s branding strategy – to literally let its bread do the talking.
We will uncover a lot of such examples in the market if we do look carefully. As consumerism takes centrestage, branding and trade marks have evolved to be embraced not only by businesses but also as a form of lifestyle. Therefore, it is essential that we teach our younger generation about its importance and guide them along as they incorporate these tools into their schoolwork and everyday lives.
“Make Your Mark! 2004” is conceptualised to do just that. An initiative by iperckidz, IPOS’ education and outreach programme, it seeks to educate and seed interest amongst students in IP, and in particular, trademarks.
“Make Your Mark! 2004” has not only exposed the students to the world of registrable trade marks, but has also empowered them with market planning and branding skills – key elements in getting a business going. I sincerely hope that the experience that the students bring away with them can serve to become invaluable skills which they can apply in their future endeavours.
As the competition rolls into the Grand Finals, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all Principals and teachers who have encouraged, advised and helped the students through this competition. We hope that you have enjoyed this positive experience and will encourage more of your students to participate next year.
To our kind sponsors, namely Nokia Private Limited, Ella Cheong Spruson & Ferguson and the Brand Name Education Foundation, thank you for your generous sponsorships and we look forward to your continued support for years to come.
I would also like to thank the School of Business and Accountancy, Ngee Ann Polytechnic and Brandz Group Private Limited, for imparting your gems of knowledge to the participating teams. Your support has been instrumental to the teams’ achievements and we hope to have your continued support next year.
And last but not least, I would like to congratulate all the teams who took part in “Make Your Mark! 2004”. Regardless of the results, each and every one of you is already a winner. To the five finalist teams, good luck and make a mark for yourselves!

Thank you.