Episodes
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What do Banana Republic and Google have in common?
By combining brand strategy with merchandising, these brands influenced culture. They grew by building a product universe.
In this excerpt from episode 2, Rei and Ana explore product pyramids of these brands, and how they grew through smart product-led branding.
Follow Ana here:
Newsletter "The Sociology of Business"New book "Hitmakers: How Brands Influence Culture"Follow Rei here:
Rei's LinkedInNewsletter "The Intersection"Rei's global innovation firm I&CO
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What do Banana Republic, McDonald’s, and a 1,800-year-old Japanese shrine have in common?
By combining brand strategy with merchandising, these brands influenced culture. They grew by building a product universe.
In this episode, Rei and Ana explore product pyramids of different brands, and how they grew through smart product-led branding.
Related Links:
The growth of a Japanese shrine: https://open.substack.com/pub/reiinamoto/p/rethinking-rebranding?r=2e839vMcDonald’s example: https://www.mcdonalds.com/ae/en-ae/anime-campaign.htmlHow to build a product universe: https://andjelicaaa.substack.com/p/how-to-build-a-product-universeFollow Ana here:
Newsletter "The Sociology of Business"New book "Hitmakers: How Brands Influence Culture"Follow Rei here:
Rei's LinkedInNewsletter "The Intersection"Rei's global innovation firm I&CO
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Missing episodes?
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In this inaugural episode, Ana and Rei introduce the idea of product-led branding: what happens when a product is so good that it spins a brand out of it?
They discuss how products themselves—like Nike’s Moon Shoe and Levi’s 501 jeans—build brand identity through unique features and cultural appeal.
Five key elements of product-led branding are Value, Wear, Aesthetics, Narrative, and Fandom.
Ana and Rei also share their respective Hit Lists, a topic or item in culture that's occupying them at the moment.
Follow Ana here:
Newsletter "The Sociology of Business"New book "Hitmakers: How Brands Influence Culture"Follow Rei here:
Rei's LinkedInNewsletter "The Intersection"Rei's global innovation firm I&CO
