The dangers of dominance.

Most marketers are well aware of the antitrust implications of competitors acting together to set prices or to manipulate a market but, in many countries, regulators are scrutinising many other marketing practices. Some are everyday practices that run into antitrust issues when used by the dominant brand in a market. Dominant brands must be constantly alert to potential antitrust issues and marketers of leading brands need to seek detailed advice on the implications of many practices.

Some of the problem areas for dominant brands include tactics that may well be acceptable for small brands. Regulators may define markets rather differently to the marketer, making the …