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, that the commercial never resolves itself into a real message.   The slogan of “Get to a better state,” is a nice try for Linkage to State Farm, but nothing in this spot leads me to even consider switching insurance.   In fact, the spot leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth for the Brand.

“Who has time to slim slowly?”  Slimfast.  WOW!

Perhaps all ideas already exist, and we merely need to discover them?

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 type shops and a saloon with a family oriented saloon show and that was about it. The brothers already owned a very successful theme park in Branson, Missouri called Silver Dollar City. When they bought the TN park they re-named it Silver Dollar City, TN. They added a few rides and 1880′s craftsmen and attendance grew to several hundred thousand per season. Not bad for the little tourist town of Pigeon Forge.  But wait.

In the fall of 1985, it was announced that the Herschends had done a “Joint Venture” with Dolly Parton (the details of the JV were never made public). The park was going to receive an extensive makeover and open the next season as Dollywood. Because Dolly is a living legend and folk hero in the East Tennessee area, the park’s fame spread like wildfire and within a very short time annual attendance reached the millions.   All they really did was re-brand a current park and re-open. Quite a success story of what a great brand can do.

Well consider what Muzak did years ago when they created the idea of using music in the background in the workplace.  Muzak is known as elevator music.  It even created the term “elevator music.”  Now it’s in office buildings, lobbies, restaurants, schools, etc.   And the category that resulted, Business Music, has competitors.

I assumed this category began in the 1960′s, but research showed me that it is much older than that.  The company Muzak Inc was incorporated in 1934.  This brand gained credence after a British study in 1937 showed that music increased work efficiency.  Then another study in New Jersey showed that music added in a manufacturing plant reduced absenteeism by 88%.   The brand Muzak introduced a form of franchising in 1938.  William Benton of Benton & Bowles advertising was an owner of the brand at one time.

Technology has changed but the fundamental idea is the same.  Even the Ipod owes its success to the same basic idea.  Background music increases work efficiency, whether in the hallway, at the desk, or in the gym.  What an idea to brand!

I understand that when it came time to send out resumes, he got the highest return of his class.  But vs. the previous blog on The Chief Story Teller, I am going to give this young man’s effort a “Near Miss” because when I went to Google to find him, I was not able to.  I could track him down thru the school and would do so if I wanted to discuss a job with him, but all the pieces were not put together quite well enough for him to benefit completely from his differentiation.  He has some more work to do.

You don’t become a KILLER BRAND just by following the principles, you have to finish the drill.   The principles put you in position to become a KILLER BRAND.  They don’t get you there.   My new book, in development now, KILLER BRAND™ Marketing, is about converting strategy to marketing plans and finishing the drill.

In fact, if  you go to the website of The Chief Story Teller, you will note that he does not use his name one time.  He might be a one man shop.  He might have a staff of hundreds.  I am very impressed with his use of branding principles to create his own story.  Focus is clear.  Alignment is solid.  And Linkage is right there in his name.

I am not endorsing his work.  I know nothing of whether he is good or not, but he has done an admirable job for himself and I find him compelling.  And thus suspect that he has something to offer.  I am going to find out.   Watts Wacker the futurist once told me that he consulted by “dominant anecdote.”    I have always remembered that phrase.  I read once about a one person company where the founder made herself the Executive VP, automatically suggesting that she was part of something larger.

Point is that branding, and the principles that are involved are not just for big companies.

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, some three.  Google this one.  It is a perfect example of creating your own brand.  Find a need, solve it, invent it, protect it, align it, name it and introduce it.

May or may not be a big idea, but the first step is a brilliant one.

Stinky Kids always make the right choice.  Stinky Kids do the good thing.

Britt was wearing a Stinky Kids t-shirt while shopping at Nordstrom’s.  A sales person saw it, fell it love with it and the Stinky Kids story, took Britt to her manager, and now Nordstrom is Britt’s main account.  Yes they tested awhile in a few stores, but things went well.  Britt is expanding the line to books, etc.  And has very big plans.  She will do well.

It’s not just Stinky Kids.  Britt herself is making the right choices.  She is staying tight on strategy.  As is Nordstom’s.  Kudos to them both.

Lesson:  Be an evangelist for your own brand.  If you have something you can wear, wear it everywhere.  If you have something to say, say it everywhere.

A friend of mine once asked Ray Kroc, founder of McDonald’s at a Christmas cocktail party if all he ever thought about was hamburgers.  His answer, “Yes Ma’am.  Hamburgers are my life.”

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 Branding;  Focus, Alignment and Linkage. I know you must have seen it on TV.  And now I am getting emails about it to follow up the TV awareness.

The only thing that keeps me from buying this brand is the same thing that keeps me from having a vegetable garden in the first place.  I have very little sun, and frankly vegetable gardens are ugly and defeat the purpose of gardening to me, which is to envision, create and grow beauty.

Topsy Turvy is ugly also.  It did not have to be, but it is.   I cannot see one hanging on my patio.

I have seen at least six spots.  But as attuned to advertising as I am, I am not sure who this advertising is for.  I think the management team meeting is supposed to be at the cable company but I take nothing specific enough away from these spots, certainly nothing that would make me even think about switching to Direct TV.

The copy story is just too complicated.  In today’s shorter message lengths, simple is more important than ever.