A familiar trademark is turning fifty. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours.
The Seal of Cotton trademark from Cotton Incorporated is turning 50 this year. It was created back in 1973 to show that a product contained cotton. Within the first year, about 18 percent of Americans could identify the trademark. By the 1980’s that number was up to 63 percent. Now, the trademark is registered in 70 countries and with more than 950 brands and 190 worldwide licensees. More than 80 percent of consumers recognize the brand.
Cotton Incorporated is a not-for-profit company that conducts research to benefit every link on the cotton supply chain and develops promotions that encourage the use and desirability of cotton and cotton products. It was founded in 1970 in response to synthetic textile fibers’ encroachment on cotton’s market share. Through Cotton Incorporated, cotton became the first commodity to market directly to the consumer. The icon for this outreach was the Seal of Cotton trademark.
Listen to Sabrina Halvorson’s This Land Of Ours program here.
Sabrina Halvorson
National Correspondent / AgNet Media, Inc.
Sabrina Halvorson is an award-winning journalist, broadcaster, and public speaker who specializes in agriculture. She primarily reports on legislative issues and hosts The AgNet News Hour and The AgNet Weekly podcast. Sabrina is a native of California’s agriculture-rich Central Valley.