It’s another Expert Briefs, where I ask really smart business owners to answer your burning questions.

This week I asked our panel of experts…

“Last week, we talked about branding. Do you have any
examples of interesting, fun, or even odd brands that
stand out to you and that you love?”

I think you'll enjoy the responses.

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Kevin Riley of  Maximize Your E-Mail Marketing Profits In 2013 says:

For many years, I've been in awe of the branding of Amazon. The whole A to Z promise in their name. The implication that it is huge (Amazon River). The fact that everyone (even those who rarely shop online) know Amazon, and most have shopped there at least once. The fact that they snagged a memorable name that starts with A – and it's not Acme or Ajax.

You can learn about email marketing from
Kevin here ->  Maximum E-Mail Marketing Profits In 2013

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Lou Bortone of Video in a Day says:

One of the “new” brands that I'm enamored with at the moment is “Neuro” beverages. (http://drinkneuro.com/)

In the hyper-competitive world of sport and vitamin beverages, Neuro stands out with it's cool packaging, flavors and marketing. Check out their website and take note of the style, colors and “attitude” of the brand. And with flavor choices like “bliss,” “passion,” and “sonic,” the drink is almost irresistible. Neuro has all the makings of a brand on the move.

Want to learn about adding video in your business?
Lou's your man. -> Video in a Day

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Karon Thackston of Step-by-Step Copywriting Course says:

Check out Sally Hogshead's book “Fascinate: Your 7 Triggers to Persuasion and Captivation” which has awesome stories about branding. One that stands out is how the liquor company Jagermeister built a very successful brand based on just how disgusting their product tastes.

Now THAT'S odd and creative!

When you think Copywriting, you think of Karon.
Check out her Step-by-Step Copywriting Course if you want to ramp up your skills.

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Tiffany Dow of Ghostwriting Cash says:

Have you ever seen the movie Crazy People with Daryl Hannah and Dudley Moore? If not, as a marketer, I highly suggest you go find it and watch it. It will leave you wishing that everyone in the world marketed that way.

It’s about a group of patients at a mental facility who start marketing for a major company. They’re so blunt and refreshingly honest that the public goes crazy for them. That’s the kind of marketing I like to see.

I love humor.

I love brands that take a stand on something.

I love brands that are honest about their products.

Old Spice is one of my favorites. The commercial with the guy who changes scenes and says, “Look at your man, now back at me…” – the company is obviously going way over the top about how a simple scent can transform your life but they do it in a hilarious way – almost making fun of their entire industry for making such claims.

When a company takes a stand on an issue, I appreciate that. I know that my dollars can go toward funding certain things that I may or may not agree with, so when they’re transparent about that – I appreciate the heads up.

Take Oreo and their rainbow cookie for example. Ask anyone, and they’ll tell you that I’m a hardcore conservative, but that’s the one (and probably only lol) issue where I stand on the liberal side. So I loved that Oreo used their brand power for that.

Will there be companies who take a stand where I disagree with them? Yes. And I may quit spending money with them – but as a consumer, I still appreciate that they’re honest with me about it.

I have many of my own readers who say, “Tiffany – I love most of what you do, but sometimes you rub me the wrong way. However, I always know I’m getting the truth about what you believe, so I respect that and I stick around.”

That’s powerful.

Be honest and it will serve you well.

Tiffany has been a ghostwriter for years, writing for the Who's Who of Internet Marketing.

Learn her mad skills here -> Ghostwriting Cash

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Lain Ehmann of Crafting Your Business, Step-by-Step says:

I love Little Miss Matched, at littlemissmatched.com. They started the trend of wearing two non-matching socks, and their website is exciting, fun, and colorful – just like the brand! But at the same time they're iconoclasts, they also make it easy for people to buy.

The areas in which they've chosen to be different don't interfere with letting people find what they want and actually purchase from them.

Lain Can Show you How to Craft Your Business.

Learn more here -> Crafting Your Business, Step-by-Step

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Nicole Dean of .. here! .. says:

I've got company over so I'll answer short and sweet. Here are a few brands that make me happy.

One of my favorite brands is ThinkGeek.com. Clever and Fun. ‘Nuff said.

Another brand that I've been watching has been Charmin. Here's their latest post. (#tweetfromtheseat)

I also find a lot of liquor brands to be quite creative.

Lessons Learned from the Liquor Store.

My favorite place to go for marketing inspiration, especially when it comes to creative branding, is the liquor store.

Well, for that reason and so I can grab some wine, of course. 🙂

On my mastermind weekend with Connie Green, we stopped at a liquor store so that I could grab some wine. I mentioned to Connie my fascination with the branding on the bottles and she, so graciously asked the gentleman running the store if I could take a few pictures. He agreed. I was so excited!

Here are a couple of the pictures that I took in those few minutes….

Angry Orchard.

I love how the creators of this brand took the Wizard of Oz reference and ran with it.

Skinny Girl Cocktails.

I could write for days about Skinny Girl and their brand. But, basically, who wants a beer gut? Skinny girl to the rescue.

Oddka Vodka.

Last but certainly not least is Oddka Vodka.

What makes Oddka unique? Well, they have oddly flavored Vodka. Nothing as cool as Bacon Vodka, but still pretty awesome as you are about to see.

Their two oddest flavors are Fresh Cut Grass and Wasabi.

See?

and

Oddka reminds me of Harry Potter's Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans ? 1.2 oz Box – the jelly beans that come in earthworm, fresh cut grass, and booger flavor. Why not attract that market for vodka? (Not that I want to drink Booger Vodka, but you get what I mean.)

So talk to me.

Where do you find odd inspiration for your marketing?

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

PS. Yes, if you are over the age of 21, feel free to click on any of the images above and check them out. It's a pretty interesting study in branding if you ask me.

Big Favor – If you love Expert Briefs, be sure to check out my smart friends.

The more peeps I send their way, the more I can get them to contribute.  Here are the links again in the order that I received their responses.

• Maximum E-Mail Marketing Profits In 2013
• Video in a Day
• Step-by-Step Copywriting Course
• Ghostwriting Cash
• Crafting Your Business, Step-by-Step