A young mother in Atlanta, Britt Menzies started a company based on her children, which she called Stinky Kids.  She created the characters and gave them a Mom-desired reason-for-being.  The focus of her brand is “teaching good.” Stinky Kids always make the right choice.  Stinky Kids do the good thing. Britt was wearing a Stinky [...]

Rustoleum Universal is to me an under-marketed potential Killer Brand. The promise of “covers any surface universally even” is new in the spray paint category, and the actuator over-cap on the aerosol can is just down right cool. The commercial does a good job of demonstrating that the canister can be sprayed at any angle, [...]

I  love this business.  Yes, I must suffer through the Gatorade fiascos, and the Tropicana near disasters, but every now and then, you stumble across something wonderful,  Today, I discovered Whistle Creek walking sticks and canes out in Estes Park, Colorado. I have a heath nuisance that might force me use a cane, and I [...]

There is a good piece of drama on TV disguised as an advertising commercial.  Open in shop, son working with calipers on block of wood.  No help from Dad, only encouragement.  Son ends up with blocky looking soapbox derby car vs. other cars that look like Mattel engineered.  Son with clunky looking car wins soapbox [...]

I guess when we are looking at ways to create compelling differentiation, we have to include in our mental check lists, “upside down.” I am of course speaking of Topsy Turvy, the new tomato plant that grows upside down out of the bottom of a hanging basket.  Everything about this product fits the principles of [...]

I ate the other night at the Montgomery Inn in a surburb northeast of Cincinnati. The Montgomery Inn is actually a KILLER BRAND. People from all over come there just to have their barbecued ribs. This is a great example of focus.  The Montgomery Inn is a full-service full-menu restaurant.  Very upscale, in a very [...]

Animal crackers with which we are all familiar were not a brand.  Animal crackers are a commodity with many different manufacturers over the years, even a few now, but the niche category has been all but owned since 1902 by Nabisco with its Barnum Animal crackers.  WHY?? In 1902, Nabisco created a special package of [...]

The American Dream may be born in the fact that to create a Killer Brand here does not require the resources of a giant, just the talent of a giant. Consider.  Delta with giant resources starts a new airline named Song.  Millions later Song is gone. While during the same years, in the very toughest [...]

I saw this today in Fortune Cookies, a compilation of advice from Fortune magazine over the years. “Avoid wasting too much time and money on ‘trombone oil projects.’  You may turn out the best slide oil in the world, but the entire world needs only a pint of the stuff in a year.” I was [...]

Here is a new and very definite KILLER BRAND that I recently discovered.  How can one company own a 62% share of a highly fragmented category? Meet Vic Firth.  Every heard of him or his company?  If you play the drums you probably have. Vic Firth drumsticks are the undisputed Killer Brand in the drumstick [...]