What is Logo Detection?

In recent years, more and more companies have been leveraging logo detection in various ways for brand-related gains. So, what’s the technology behind this ‘visual listening’ tool that’s helping visionary companies turn auto-detection into auto-dollars? And how has it evolved over the years?

First things first, logo detection, otherwise known as logo recognition, refers to the identification of a company’s unique logo, or visual trademark of the brand. It’s also important to note that logo detection is closely linked to object detection, a form of Artificial Intelligence. These technologies allow for semantic object detection by identifying what data scientists call ‘instances’, in images and videos, for example.

“Logo detection has made tremendous advances over the past decade. The technology only recently became a business opportunity after the rise of the neural network era, linked closely to new datasets that scientists are releasing periodically over the years. A mixture of transfer learning from these pre-existing datasets paired with training mechanisms create a Logo Detection technology based on Deep Neural Networks that has the potential to redefine brand management as we know it.”

- Frédéric Petitpont, Moments Lab CTO

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Traditional Use Cases for Object Detection

In the early days of object detection, the technology was used for more direct operational missions: recommender systems, medical image analysis and natural language processing. But it has only recently been adopted for more modern applications, such as Tesla’s autopilot per-camera networks and police image radars, for example.

Now, it is also unfolding to be an advantageous and future-forward tool for many companies to further valorize or protect their brand and brand image.

Let’s take a look at some business examples exploring the logo detection landscape. Here are 5 ways Companies are using Logo Detection Solutions for Brand Gains:

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1) Marketing: Brand Monitoring 

According to Techopedia, brand monitoring is “a business analytics process concerned with monitoring various channels on the web or media in order to gain insight about the company, its products, brand, and anything explicitly connected to the business.”

With more than 4.1 billion of the world’s population active on social media, it doesn’t come as much of a surprise that marketers are looking into automated solutions to identify consumer behaviors, demographic information and brand ambassadors, just to name a few.

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2) Sports: Analyzing and Monitoring Logo Detection

Sports sponsorship is also in the logo detection game, so to speak! When brands partner as sponsors for sports events, most sports federations have certain contractual agreements and regulations in place regarding logo placement- the frequency, location and associated personalities (i.e. with which celebrity, sports player).

By leveraging logo-detection technologies, it’s a no-brainer that sports entities can better analyze their own brand visibility. At the same time, sports rights holders can detect and share branded content with sponsors, creating trigger notifications to inform them when desired branded content is available, allowing sponsors to publish in record-time and benefit from ‘in-the moment’ fan momentum (i.e. if you’re Nike and a player scores a goal wearing a Nike shirt, it’s more profitable to publish a post or release an advertisement just minutes after the goal was made, not 48 hours after).

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3) PR: Online Reputation Management

Social ‘listening tools’ have existed almost since the beginning of social media in various forms. Now a new generation of online reputation management has arrived, and logo detection is an emerging tool of choice. Whether it’s finding defamatory brand comments associated with an image, getting witty with competition, or responding to unsatisfied consumers, companies are getting creative with their logo detection tools.

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4) Luxury Brands: Counterfeit Detection

According to the Federal Research Division of the U.S. Library of Congress, counterfeit is on the rise. In fact, as of 2018 it is estimated to be the world’s largest criminal enterprise with international counterfeit sales reaching upwards of $4.5 trillion per year. This number is higher than the estimates for both international human trafficking and drug enterprises.

That said, in an increasingly e-commerce world (without touch and feel), chances are that consumers are more likely to buy counterfeit goods than ever before. The consequences hit on both a global retailer and economic level, implicating involvement from both corporate and government entities.

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By adopting a logo recognition tool to combat counterfeit, this enterprise could be weakened at its core.

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5) Event Sponsors: Analyzing Product Placement

Whether it’s a concert or a world-class conference, event sponsors want to make sure that their brand is getting the attention it deserves. One way to analyze this, especially with the rise of virtual events, is to apply logo detection technology to filmed event material.

This gives brands the unique opportunity to analyze brand visibility and positioning among hours of audiovisual virtual event content.

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Logo Detection Evolution: Getting Ahead of the Curve

It’s worth mentioning that traditional, stand-alone logo detection technology is quickly becoming outdated. There are bigger and badder solutions on the market that only a handful of companies are currently using, soon to be the standard when it comes to large-scale brand management initiatives. For companies wanting to get ahead of the curve, investing in logo detection technology based on transferred datasets paired with machine learning mechanisms (i.e. training), is a much more powerful and reliable investment.

To be a visionary, companies must master the art of visual listening. By reimagining the application of advanced logo detection technology, brands are able to stay ahead of the competition and take care of their reputation using a more holistic approach.