Disclaimer: Just in case we hurt a few peoples feelings, the following is without prejudice, Vi-biZ will not be held liable for opinions expressed on this website blog post.
Introduction:
Clear view fencing, pronounced intentionally incorrect to avoid trademark infringements.
Five years or so ago I would take great irritation at the constant legal battles occurring throughout the industry in the name of "trademarks" but fast forwarding five years I would in a very loose manner defend my opening statement - now, in 2023, if I were in their position I would more than likely do the same and rid the internet and industry of what has fast become a plague. So what on earth is going on in this industry?
Well let us break it down shall we...
If I were in their position I would more than likely do the same and rid the internet and industry of what has fast become a plague.
Current landscape of online marketing:
The pandemic brought havoc upon the world, whether this was from an individual, family or business perspective, I am sure a majority of us can agree on this correct? However, what stemmed from this was a huge leap in technological advancement in regards to how we approach business online. Whether this was from e-commerce to news, I believe we all jumped a few steps ahead when it came to understanding nuances of online interactions.
What stemmed from this was a huge leap in technological advancement in regards to how we approach business online.
With systems like AI now becoming extremely prevalent in our society, which in of itself is quite a scary thought due its rapid growth, online marketing and our general usage of business tools for online use has become easier than ever.
Great news right? Not specifically.
AI is a topic on its own that does not require in depth analysis on this forum, however accessibility and usage of tools does require in depth analysis as it has caused more, in my opinion, damage than good. Originally in order to master the online scene when it came to business relations required exactly that, a master. This is not to say it was a niche market because it was far from that, however companies that led the charge in online marketing and advertising were the proverbial cream of the crop which employed the best to ensure they remained number one in all aspects.
It has caused more, in my opinion, damage than good.
Going back to my opening dialogue, the pandemic caused business havoc and outright destruction, and through that havoc and destruction saw struggle, struggle formed desperation, desperation breeds new creation and ventures in order to survive, survival creates an over saturated market which finally leads to a completely changed landscape of the trading environment. I commend those who find a way to survive and adapt to a situation, I believe it is a human trait that not many of us can criticize, however the landscape this trait has created cannot be deemed a positive one.
Survival creates an over saturated market which finally leads to a completely changed landscape of the trading environment.
Have you found working and / or browsing online since the onset of the pandemic easier?
0%Yes
0%No
Pre-2020:
Prior to the whole pandemic, the world was, in all its flaws somewhat functional. I can use our industry (clear view / fencing) as a basis on what the trading environment was back then. If I had to guess there were maybe ten to fifteen suppliers of our product type (clearview / clear view fencing) and about four to five manufacturers which in turn fed the supply chain. If we had to track back further to lets say 2016 for example you can halve that number. Nonetheless competition was fierce, but a majority of the time good competition that kept you on your toes, you knew who you were up against and you know the skills that were present. I can recollect times where we beat out the biggest manufacturer for the most prestigious clear view fencing project in South Africa in 2018, it was a tough battle but we prevailed and I believe that was due to our experience, attention to detail, competitive pricing and a highly qualified team that had large amounts of synergy from the top all the way to the bottom. That is not to say we didn't lose, we did, and some big ones as well.
The point is this - It was a competitive market with "players" that competed with one another for many years up until that point, making it like many other industries in comparison.
If I had to guess there were maybe ten to fifteen suppliers of our product type (clearview / clear view fencing) and about four to five manufacturers which in turn fed the supply chain.
The influx of "clear view fencing":
Okay, the pandemic is in full swing, everyone has no idea what is going on. Out of the blue you go onto Google and type in "clear view fencing" and from the bottom of the lake pops up a beast with multiple heads, the beast had multiple names as well, not very original ones but names nonetheless - clear view fencing | clearview fencing | clearview fencing pros | clear view super fencing | monster fencing (or something like that) and a bunch of other heads I cannot even be bothered to remember the names of. Okay, we have a bit of a problem Houston...
The beast had multiple names as well, not very original ones but names nonetheless.
The problem does not directly mean - this is a dangerous competitor with business practices that will forever change our trading environment, no. The problem lies with a very easily accessible tool - Google - this tool has become reasonably easy to use when advertising, in conjunction with this, to create a website is also easier than ever. So, the process is quite simple, in actual fact let me take a liberty and create a business plan for you right now -
1. Create a company with a name that is based on the industry you are targeting (not much brain power is required on this one). |
2. Generate a generic website with either stock images or stolen content. |
3. Say you have been in business and serviced the industry since the beginning of time. |
4. Outright lie about your achievements and offers. |
5. Spam the living hell out of your SEO by inserting the words "clear view , clearview, clear...view, Clearview (see, it has a capital C)" throughout your website. Important side note - remember to insert these keywords in places like about us where it has absolutely no correlation to the topic. |
6. You can also put in the extra effort by duplicating the same page fifty times and then just change a word from "Johannesburg" to "Bloemfontein" to make it "different". I have seen this with the "pros" of clear view fencing, Google love these innovative and out of the box thinkers... |
Ta da, you have successfully created a company that trades in clear view fencing, now you just need to find one of the twenty different suppliers of the product and you are A for away!
I find it downright jaw dropping that Google does not pay any attention to this, and to get in contact with them is tantamount to impossible. This influx of websites that just utilize and spam keywords for their SEO is unbelievable, many of which if I may add, are actually a scam (go read some reviews on Google itself or Hello Peter).
Unfortunately the truth of the matter is this, nothing has been done about this in nearly three years and the likeliness of it changing is low. Adaption is all that is required to combat this. I firmly believe originality and transparency must remain in place in order to serve this purpose you originally set out, and that is to provide the end-user a product and service that is of the highest quality at the best possible price. It is also important that we, and I collectively say we who remain original and do not form part of this crowd make an informed effort on letting our customers know that this problem exists and that in their decision making process facts must be checked and a solid opinion should be formed prior to making a purchase. If the landscape is filled with valid information that overcomes the false narrative a change will become apparent, eventually weeding out the unnecessary.
Facts must be checked and a solid opinion should be formed prior to making a purchase.
Does it seem that I am quite displeased with what is going on? If it does not seem like it I should reconsider writing articles. All of the above mentioned boils down to one thing, one thing that all businesses exist for - capital gain.
Not only does this influx knock a steady platform into a frenzy and causes loss of business it also creates major financial implications for original advertisers of the product. Because of the over saturation of these companies on Google and the ever growing advertising customer base they are receiving from it, the cost involved for advertising, lets say for arguments sake clear view fencing has increased ten fold.
Again, there is nothing wrong with competition, without it where would be the fun? But when you are competing against something that is not true and creates a fabricated perception of something in particular and that comes at the expense of your advertising budget, then I believe we should all be displeased. If you know anything about Google's advertising platform you will understand that, in laments terms, the more competitors, the more you pay, its as simple as that.
There is nothing wrong with competition, without it where would be the fun? But when you are competing against something that is not true and creates a fabricated perception of something in particular and that comes at the expense of your advertising budget
Have you struggled making a decision on choosing a specific supplier due to the influx of options available?
Yes
No
Clearview - The Broadway Production:
This would be prevalent in any industry, it would just seem to be the nature of things when it comes down businesses. I think we all wish that we could operate our businesses in peace without much interference from the outside. I can proudly say that as the years have gone by our company has not dwelled in or entertained much politics, it was there but very few and far between. No matter where you look, there is always someone or something lurking around the corner with an open ear and a mouth ready to expand at the closest opportunity in order to get the "upper hand".
Whether it is from -
Individuals stealing designs from someone and then trying to sell said designs back to the person who designed them in the first place (yes, I know what you thinking)
or
Companies that were restructured and redesigned, profited greatly and provided what would now be seen as "empty" promises to the catalysts and then disband the catalysts, climb on a plane and sip Pina Colada's in the Cayman Isles.
These are two of which I guarantee there are hundreds of in this industry, some which I may delve deeper into come the future. Political agendas by the ones with no face control most of what transpires, well anything that transpires which is of any significance that is. The only way you truly escape it is by shutting it out or looking it straight in the eyes without hesitation and not succumbing to its filth covered clutches.
This is becoming quite novel like, fiction perhaps, maybe so, but I do not believe there is a better way to describe the unfortunate Broadway Production that is the clear view fencing industry.
No matter where you look, there is always someone or something lurking around the corner with an open ear and a mouth ready to expand at the closest opportunity in order to get the "upper hand".
The Future:
All of which has been said up to this point has been negative, but unfortunately that is the point of this post specifically, we have many other posts that convey positive and exciting things like projects and new innovations, things we should all be focused on.
So why was this post compiled, why is it only considered "part 1"?
This should have been answered throughout the entire above narrative, but in summary - We are faced with great challenges in our industry, challenges not seen before, these challenges in conjunction with the ever crumbling economy spells conundrum. Let's face it, we can do what we can to try aid our collapsing country but unfortunately we do not hold the power to make a change significant enough that our landscape will see a sun rising above the ocean, that is also not why we are here, we are here to run a business we are proud of and supply our customers with the best product at the best price and service levels far exceeding anything expected from what is considered a blue collar industry with shades of white seeping through as the tenders rush in. In order for us to alleviate the strain that is currently being forced upon our industry this article aims to bring one intention to the table, and that intention is to raise awareness, whether we are making fellow suppliers aware or if we are making existing and prospective customers aware, I believe the more we know and the more we understand these problems the more we can collectively combat it and return the industry to what it was, somewhat, prior to the global pandemic.
Intention is to raise awareness, whether we are making fellow suppliers aware or if we are making existing and prospective customers aware, I believe the more we know and the more we understand these problems the more we can collectively combat it.
Revolt would be a passionate word, but we are passionate about our business and our products and the brand we have poured hundreds of thousands of hours into over the last 10+ years. We are still running at full capacity and our prospective and existing customers continue to flow, however we will not stand idle and watch a portion of our industry be consumed by inadequate and lackluster entities and our prospective client base spend copious amounts of money, only to end up with the inevitable regret of utilizing these inadequate and lackluster entities.
We will not stand idle and watch a portion of our industry be consumed by inadequate and lackluster entities.
And why is this considered "part 1", well, we'll review the reception of this article and pending the outcome, maybe we will spill some more beans and upset a few more people in the near or distant future, but for the time being those waiting in anticipation, just know, we are coming, and we are coming with intent, you can call it David vs twenty mediocre and much smaller than anticipated Goliath's.
It's time that we get a clear view on the clearview fencing industry.
_
Thanks for reading, now go buy some fencing from a reputable supplier (preferably us).
V