For many years, I have meant to visit Columbus, Indiana.  You know that’s the town that is differentiated based on the architecture of its companies and buildings. I went yesterday. If it is possible to overdo branding for a city, Columbus may have done it.  The reason for the differentiation is real.  The logo is [...]

There is a commercial for a new paint or stain by Behr which in my opinion is guilty of burying the lead.  I don’t remember the name, whether it is a paint or a stain, but I remember one line of the commercial that was accompanied by an almost impactful visual demo, had it been [...]

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, [...]

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, [...]

Clarins has introduced a new product for jet lag.  Finally someone addresses the insidious aging effects of flying.  But they have complicated this product with a lengthy, and to me, contradictory name. The product is called anti jet lag relief emergency booster.  I think “anti” jet lag and “relief” are contradictory.  Are they guarding against [...]

On Ventura Blvd in the LA area, one can experience two different burger concepts in a few blocks that are worth examining. One is Fat Burger. The other is Habit. The Fat Burger unit is minimal and dated. The food is good. Once you stop in, the marketing is clear, the concept makes sense. They [...]

Seems to me that the new Remington Clean X-Change electric razor is failing to take advantage of its genuine differentiation as the first electric razor with a disposable, replaceable head. I just literally saw the commercial for the third time tonight and could barely remember the name long enough to write this post. I am [...]

McDonald’s is airing almost great advertising at the moment for its dollar menu list of items. Two points are worth learning from this advertising. First, there is a potential big idea in one of the spots where two men in an office are bantering about how much certain things cost, their haircuts, one’s tie, etc., [...]

Here is a potential Big Idea that just misses because the theme chosen is overused in my opinion. Prudential investments have created the idea of a Retirement Red Zone defined as five years before or after retirement.  Having a critical time zone before and after retirement seems like a legitimate idea but calling it a [...]

Some of you will remember The Seven Percent Solution as the title of the excellent 1974 book on the life of Sherlock Holmes the fictional character and coke addict (not the soft drink, the drug). I used it to describe a fascinating fact that I recently learned about Diet Coke. Coke Zero has been introduced [...]