What’s does your brand smell like? The scent of a brand may not be something that readily comes to mind, but it’s far more prevalent than most of us perceive. 

I sometimes hear the argument that certain kinds of products can’t be branded—they are commodities, highly-priced competitive and no different from one to the other.

Here’s a quick look at brands that will be growing, shrinking, or maybe just disappearing in the coming year.

When GEICO introduced the gecko mascot with a British accent in 1999, they fired off the first jokes of what has become an all-out battle to build insurance brand preference using humor as a main ingredient.

Five years ago CVS changed the drug store landscape. They announced they would no longer sell tobacco products in their pharmacy stores and that they were changing their corporate name to CVS Health as part of a “broader healthcare commitment.” In essence, they created a new category of business and challenged their competitors to follow. ...

Why is McDonald’s more successful than Burger King or Wendy’s? Their food isn’t any better; their prices are about the same. Yet McDonald’s sales in 2018 dwarfed those of its rivals with over $20 billion compared to about $1.6 billion for both Wendy’s and BK.

Without belief in your brand, it doesn’t exist. The leadership of a company must believe in the brand. The staff and employees must believe in the brand. Most importantly, your next customer must believe in the brand. Here's why.

Apple, Whole Foods and Starbucks don’t have one. Subaru has one but doesn’t emphasize it. Coke changes theirs every few years. And Nationwide and BMW haven’t changed theirs in more than 40 years. I’m referring, of course, to taglines—or slogans.