A few weeks ago, I found myself needing to determine where to spend the night in the California foothills of the Sierra Nevada. I could have chosen any of a hundred towns, all of which had interesting gold rush related histories.

I chose Angels Camp. Why?

Because as a place, Angels Camp has a differentiated brand story. Mark Twain’s short story, “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” was about Angels Camp. And while the town itself is not a highlight of my travels, I celebrate it here for having perpetuated its brand story.

Angels Camp still hosts the annual Calaveras County Frog Jumping contest, even though Mark Twain wrote first about it over 150 years ago, There are so many jumping frogs now entered that the annual contest takes a whole week of jumping. You can even rent a frog upon arrival and sponsor your own entry. Rent-a-frogs rarely win, I suspect.

What do you get if you win? A prize rarely available to any of us, “immortality.” You and your frog will be ensconced on downtown Angel Camp’s Frog Leap, a walk along both sides of the main street. There each year’s winner is immortalized in bronze along with the owner’s name. You can walk from winner to winner and see that they come from just about everywhere, not just from California. The enduring attraction of the Calaveras County Frog Leaping competition proves once again that a compelling and differentiated brand story can produce revenue far exceeding its costs.

In case you are wondering, your frog is placed upon a starting “lily pad.”  It is allowed three jumps and the ending distance from the starting pad is measured.  It helps of course for your frog to jump not only far, but in a straight line.