Eaton Corp PLC : Eaton Promotes Electrical Safety with “I Didn’t Know” Anti-Counterfeiting Campaign

PITTSBURGH … Diversified industrial manufacturer Eaton today announced a new campaign, "I Didn't Know," to continue raising awareness of the dangers of counterfeit electrical products. The campaign is part of Eaton's ongoing commitment to combating counterfeit electrical products worldwide.

Over the past several years, Eaton's "Target Authenticity" campaign has brought together cross-industry organizations and manufacturers to draw attention to the important health, safety and economic issues of counterfeit electrical products and was recognized as a "Best of the Best" brand awareness campaign by tED Magazine. With a new slogan and emphasis, the "I Didn't Know" campaign will continue to expand on Eaton's efforts to combat counterfeiting.

"Not realizing the sophistication of modern counterfeiting techniques, industry professionals often think they can tell the difference between a counterfeit product and an authentic one. To test their skills, we've presented hundreds of professionals with two circuit breakers: one counterfeit and one authentic," said Steve Huggins, director of marketing, Control and Circuit Breaker Division, Eaton's Electrical Sector. "These industry professionals inspired the campaign's new slogan by coming to the common realization that they 'never would have thought it was a counterfeit - they didn't know.''"

Counterfeit electrical products can present serious health and safety risks to consumers and to the electrical industry. These products may overheat or cause short circuits, leading to fires, shocks or explosions that can cost people their lives and produce considerable property damage.  Although counterfeit products may often be less expensive than legitimate products because the manufacturers cut corners, they also may present long-term economic risks related to safety and their negative impact on legitimate manufacturers.

Key messages of the campaign will continue to be shared through strategically placed awareness and educational articles and whitepapers by Eaton executives, as well as through print advertisements.

The full-page advertisements feature a large image of a distraught professional with three bold, red words highlighting the common source of their problems, "I Didn't Know." This bold image is followed by the problem that they didn't know until it was too late, including "it was counterfeit," "my company would be responsible," "it was from and unauthorized source," and "Eaton had the product in stock."

Print below the professional's image offers applicable solutions that, if the professional had known in advance, may have prevented the issue from ever happening. The ultimate solution in each advertisement is to always buy authentic, a key message carried over from Eaton's "Target Authenticity" campaign.

"Stopping the sale of counterfeit products is everyone's responsibility-manufacturers, distributors, resellers (authorized and unauthorized) and customers alike," said Huggins. "The "I Didn't Know" campaign aims to provide each individual along the supply chain with knowledge and tools needed to convince them not to purchase counterfeit electrical products."

Eaton is committed to stopping counterfeiting of electrical products worldwide. Its electrical business is committed to anti-counterfeiting technologies and programs.

Eaton is a diversified power management company providing energy-efficient solutions that help our customers effectively manage electrical, hydraulic and mechanical power. With 2012 sales of $16.3 billion, Eaton is a global technology leader in electrical products, systems and services for power quality, distribution and control, power transmission, lighting and wiring products; hydraulics components, systems and services for industrial and mobile equipment; aerospace fuel, hydraulics and pneumatic systems for commercial and military use; and truck and automotive drivetrain and powertrain systems for performance, fuel economy and safety. Eaton acquired Cooper Industries plc in 2012. Eaton has approximately 103,000 employees and sells products to customers in more than 175 countries. For more information, visit www.eaton.com.