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 name [...]

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 edges, [...]

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 Kids t-shirt [...]

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 Killer [...]

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, [...]

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 category.
Vic [...]

The Chicago Lyric Opera House has been home to Jenny Lind, Enrico Caruso, and other great voices thru history.
It also enjoys one of the truly great slogans or copy lines that I have ever heard.  “If these walls could talk, they would sing.”

A restaurant in Chandler, Arizona, represents virtually every principle of Killer Branding.  Called the Heart Attack Grill, it features really good tasing food, that is absolutely bad for your arteries.  The alignment is awesome from the Single Bypass Burger (one patty) to the Quadruple Bypass burger (four patties).  Burgers don’t even have lettuce.  In fact, [...]

In the book, KILLER BRANDS, I am critical of the Traveler’s Insurance advertising that featured the medieval man jumping off of the bridge wearing wings.  Today, I want to give Kudo’s to their new advertising which shows a mnemonic unbrella hovering over houses and cars and such.  This is not perfect.  It stills tells the [...]