ONTARIO BRANDING COMPUTERS ACTING AS AN ANTI-THEFT DETERRENT[ eChannelLine Canada ]Laptop Design turns laptops into branding and anti-theft devices
24 November, 2005
by Chris Talbot

Branding a product can be fairly expensive, but there are subtle -- and less expensive -- ways that companies can use to make sure their brand is seen as often as possible. According to one company, a good way is to use their services to brand laptop computers with organizations' colors, logos and trademarks.

Laptop Design USA brands laptop computers with company's identifying marks, and according to Peder Blohm, president of Laptop Design USA, the process serves two purposes. For the marketing people of an organization, it helps them to get their brand out there, but for IT and administrative personnel, it's a good theft deterrent.


"The interest is humongous because for a company it's a question of brand awareness," Blohm said.


How many times do salespeople (or other employees) take their laptops out into the field, set them down on a table and open them up? If the laptop is branded, then every time that laptop comes out, somebody is seeing it, Blohm said. Additionally, it's a good icebreaker because it's a discussion item.


"In marketing, everything is a question of impressions -- how many times somebody sees it. And you can imagine how many impressions you get from a computer that's in service for, let's say, three years," Blohm said.


Going hand in hand with branding is anti-theft. Blohm quoted a number that approximately 400,000 laptops were stolen in the U.S. last year. However, with a company's colours, name and logo on the laptop, nobody will steal it because nobody is going to want to carry such an item.

It's also unlikely that a thief would be able to remove all of the branding, as Laptop Design uses automotive paint and procedures to paint the laptop shell to the customer's specifications.


"The impulse thief doesn't take something with a company name on it," Blohm said.

One company that has bought into the idea of branding its computers is Sharp Systems of America, which recently signed a deal that would have Laptop Design offer branding options to its customers.


"The response we've been getting is tremendous. And we are right now working out a program for value-added resellers, because those guys are working with companies on a daily basis. When they go in and they work with a company, if they are setting up a network or helping them select the right computers or programs, this is a very viable thing for them also," Blohm said.


In order to get the colors and logos on the laptop, the hardware has to be sent to Laptop Design. Blohm said the turnaround time is about three to five working days. What the company does is take the top shell off the laptop, clean it, prime, paint it with automotive paint, attach any logos, artwork or designs to it, and then put two coats of clear coat on top of that.


"It looks absolutely like a million bucks," Blohm said.

The prices vary depending on what the customer wants, but they range from $95 (U.S.) to $195 (U.S.), with the average price being in the neighborhood of approximately $130 (U.S.).