Thursday, January 7, 2010

Trade Show in Las Vegas & Then The Fun Begins


Sunrise in Las Vegas

So excited to be launching the line. Finally. After a year of hard work we would have more than just our Barrier and Diaper cream to sell.
Here is the booth.







That was incredible. My parents flew out and met me there. Dad, the chemist behind the whole thing, got to meet his biggest fans.

We met so many fans of the line and made friends with many new store owners who are going to carry our products. So thrilling and exciting!

And we came home. And then...

...a funny thing happened after I returned from the ABC KIDS EXPO in Las Vegas mid-September.

My brand manager, David, told me I
should trademark the slogan, "At Home.. On the Road," which was on my logo and product labels.


So I called the trademark lawyer who had trademarked "Mayron's Good Baby" twelve years ago, to see if he could look into that for me...
and I found out that he had died.

Okay. I can deal with that. I can get another trademark lawyer and get it done. So while I was trying to wrench a concrete date out of the manufacturer in Reading, Pa. to make the 4 new products of the baby line, I had a conversation with the new trademark lawyer. After a little research he promptly told me that I no longer had the trademark for Mayron's Good Baby.

What?

Wow.

That was a shock.

Especially after debuting Mayron’s Good Baby at the largest baby and kid's trade show in the country.

Rewind...

Twelve years ago, when my trademark lawyer was alive, I told him I wanted to name the company "Good Baby." He told me there was already a company called "Good Baby" in China and that they made strollers. But it was strollers in China, and I was going to do skincare in America. He suggested I put my name in front of "Good Baby" and that's how "Mayron's Good Baby" came to be.

In 2007, "Good Baby" in China apparently pulled trademarks for everything and anything to do with babies: diapers, diaper bags, high chairs, skin care! And, in the last twelve years, have built themselves into a business worth over 300 million today.

Back to the present.

I'm just new here. I'm just one of the "little guys" right now. I don't want anyone coming after me before I've even left the starting gate and say I'm using their name.

I had to regroup.

Redesign the labels, re-trademark things...
I had incorporated under "Mayron's Goods."
So that's what we are: Mayron’s Goods.

And Our Baby Line is now called, "Baby Goods."

The artwork of the products is almost identical, but the name change is there.

So, we are manufacturing, finally, the new products in the next week and it is VERY EXCITING!

From the bottom of my heart I want you to know how much I am grateful for your time and your support. Your support of my brand new fledging effort means so much to me and my Dad.

I hope you had a wonderful holiday and I look forward to our continued friendship.

Happy New Year!

Melanie

8 comments:

Ludovica said...

Whoa! That must have been a bit of a blow! Have to say the new name is snappier and sounds less twee. It will be easier to market to adults (non mothers) perhaps. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help, proofreading, wordprocessing or whatever. I'm all yours :)

USelaine said...

Man, that is a surprise. It's good to see you carry on, sally forth, with the honorable Mayron name still attached.

Mom101 said...

It's fabulous! And it doesn't change t all what's on the inside of those wonderful tubes and bottles, which really, is what matters the most.

-Liz From Cool Mom Picks

Simon Ellinas said...

Isn't the legal side of business a minefield? Well done with the rebranding. It works.

Darla Brown said...

Great blog post. It's very exciting to see the new logo and brand. Looks great! :-)

Unknown said...

You amaze me with your cheerful optimistic attitude, Melanie. When I first read what you wrote, it felt like a huge dramatic-almost tragic plot, but with your majestic way you actually managed to turn it into an amusing comedy with an original twist. I like your new logo. It's catchy and refreshing.

I'm so excited for you and your dad. I guess you two worked very hard all these years and needed constant belief & real devotion to come so far.

Now it is time to reap what you sowed!

I wish lots & lots of babies around the world to enjoy this excellent crop!

Candace Walsh said...

Melanie, it was so great to meet you and David. I love your line.

-Candace

Babytime Organics said...

I can feel your pain. We had a similar situation when we started our company. We accidentally used a similar name of a larger company, and began establishing our own brand. Then, we were contacted by that company and they threatened to sue. We were small and couldn't fight them, so we changed our name. It all worked out for the best because we like our current name and have established a loyal following. Glad to hear things worked out for you too.