I am commenting on the new State Farm campaign which I just say for the first time this morning. The situation of a wife catching a husband on line with his insurance agent and thinking he is talking with a woman leads one’s mind so far away from any kind of Expectation related to insurance, [...]

Slimfast  is proving that no matter how old a brand might be, one can finally get to a great copy line that tells the story and does so in a way that links directly to the name of the brand.  And makes you wonder where this idea has been for so many years? “Who has [...]

Awhile back, I wrote about James Bond Island in Pha Nang Bay in Phuket. Today, let’s look at a different destination that was re-branded closer to home. In the late 1970′s The Herschend family purchased a small, Smoky Mountain theme park called Gold Rush Junction. It had a steam train ride, a few general store [...]

What if you are sitting at your desk and someone says, “let’s brand fragrance.”  You reply, “you mean a certain fragrance?”  “No” they say, “let’s brand all fragrance.”  Sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it? Well consider what Muzak did years ago when they created the idea of using music in the background in the workplace.  Muzak is [...]

I gave a speech on the principles of KILLER BRANDING a few years ago at the William Mason business school at William & Mary college, and one of the students whose name escapes me now, immediately branded himself as “the Generator,” someone who generates change, who makes things happen.  He put it on his letters, [...]

I discovered Ira Koretsky today, not a very compelling or memorable name is it?  How about if I said that I discovered The Chief Story Teller™ today?  That is how Ira brands himself. In fact, if  you go to the website of The Chief Story Teller, you will note that he does not use his [...]

A few years ago, certain bakeries started selling the top of muffins because so may people prefer them.  Problem was, no one could own the idea. That brings me to the Edge™ brownie pan, where an entrepreneur figured out how to make a pan that would bake brownies all of which had at least two [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

There is a TV campaign on at the moment for either Direct TV or for Cable TV.   Takes place around a conference table.  Ed Bagley Jr. plays the chairman of the company.   One guy takes the lead telling about what the competition is doing.  Then they joke into “Let’s Raise Our Prices” in some spots, [...]