The lightning, of course, is Jake Bugg‘s hit, “Lightning Bolt,” embraced quickly by Gatorade upon the song’s overseas’ debut.

Originally released as a digital download in the U.K. in early 2012, the song was featured in the promotion of the men’s 100-meter dash during the 2012 London Summer Olympics. (Sprinter Usain Bolt‘s nickname is “Lightning.”)

Bugg’s debut album, including the song, was released in the U.K. in October 2012 and in the U.S. in April 2013.

At the same time as the U.S. release, Gatorade launched a revamped version of its spot, “Gator Story,” now renamed “Lightning Bolt.”

The original spot (below) relates how a team of University of Florida physicians concocted the drink in 1965 to help the university’s football team overcome the affects of heat and exertion.

The researchers discovered that lack of energy late in games is caused by the depletion of electrolytes and carbohydrates.

They called their formulation for replacing these essential elements, “Gatorade,” a name now synonymous with “sports drink.”

Gatorade’s logo, an orange lightning bolt, symbolizes the energy restored by the drink.

After Jake Bugg’s song struck, Gatorade re-formulated its history lesson. The new spot (below) leverages Gatorade’s logo and Bugg’s song, moving from the drink’s beginnings at the University of Florida to footage of several major athletes associated with the drink, including Michael Jordan, Dwyane Wade, Serena Williams and Peyton Manning.

Over 80% of Americans are willing to pay more for made-in-USA products, according to a recent survey by Boston Consulting Group. Ninety-three percent say it’s because they want to keep jobs in the U.S.

However, voting their colors is a little tricky for auto consumers, because there are no cars from major manufacturers made completely in the U.S.

According to Consumer Reports, “Most vehicles are multinational, even those with iconic American nameplates, and many imports are surprisingly red, white, and blue. Case in point: The Chevrolet Spark and Toyota Sienna. Only 10 percent of the Chevy’s parts are American or Canadian; more than 75 percent (including the engine) are from Korea, where the vehicle is assembled, and the automatic transmission is made in Japan. By contrast, 75 percent of the (Toyota) Sienna (including its engine) is American. It’s assembled in Indiana.”

The Japanese-owned Toyota Sienna is more American than the Chevy Spark.

Many cars built in the U.S. are assembled using parts that come from outside the country. Cars.com, in research for its annual American-Made Index, surveyed domestic parts content for the top 113 models on the market. More than 80 percent of those cars — the vast majority of what shoppers are buying — have domestic parts content below 75%, or are assembled in Canada, Mexico or elsewhere.

And yet, many manufacturers play the U.S.A. card in their marketing, including European-based BMW. Typically, they tout where in the U.S. they are assembled. (See the The New York Times 2011 map of auto manufacturing plants in the U.S. by brand and model.)

In its popular “Imported From Detroit” Super Bowl spots, Chrysler famously implied it was made in America. Trouble is, the Chrysler 300 sedan is assembled in Brampton, Ontario, with a Mexican-made engine.

Accordingly, the Made in the USA Foundation filed a misleading-advertising complaint against Chrysler with the Federal Trade Commission.

Joel Joseph, the organization’s chairman, told Automotive News Chrysler is “flat wrong” to imply the Chrysler 300 is made in the United States and is asking the FTC to order “corrective advertising.”

Which brings us to Volkswagen.

The only car VW builds in the U.S. is the Passat, manufactured at its new Chattanooga, Tennessee plant. But Volkswagen doesn’t wave the red, white and blue; instead, it proudly flies the black, red and gold of Germany.

All of Volkswagen’s advertising since 2008 has ended with the tagline: “Das Auto. That’s the power of German engineering.”

As for the Passat, VW is betting the engineered-in-Germany, made-in-America combo is a winner. It may be right. According to Cars.com’s research, “nearly half of (consumers surveyed) said that a car from a foreign automaker would be more appealing if they knew the car was built in the U.S.”

Omaha Steaks is “The Official Sponsor of Tailgating,” for example. UPS stakes out “logistics,” Corona “beach” and Coke “summer.”

It appears Heineken intends to own the “party.”

And not just any party.

Heineken’s parties take place in exotic locales where exotic people wearing exotic costumes dance wildly to exotic music. The venues are cavernous, yet crowded. Revelers include spies, musicians, gamblers, magicians, showgirls and animals.

But good luck finding one. Heineken’s parties are typically located inside an unmarked door in a back alley in Chinatown. You have to know the bouncer to get in.

In case you weren’t invited, here’s a peek at some Heineken party scenes below, along with a me-too spot from Budweiser Black Crown.

Umm … so lift your glass of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey high and toast this remarkable codependent relationship.

Why Jack Daniel’s? Because in its new campaign, the brand claims to have been “with the band since 1866.”

Beverage brands often attempt to associate themselves with good times — parties, sporting events, special occasions. Once up a time, “weekends were made for Michelob.” More recently, Corona Extra took the “beach.” And Coke, in its current promotion, is staking out “summer.”

Now, Jack Daniel’s is claiming to “own” a special relationship with music. In its new TV spot, “Legend,” the brand reminds us of its frequent presence backstage, onstage, in the studio, in the limo, and at the after-party.

The spot, shot by rock photographer Danny Clinch, is a montage of concert footage, photos and memorabilia crossing all genres — country, swing, blues, grunge, punk, indie and glam. It features images of Ernest Tubb, Frank Sinatra, Ratt, Mudhoney, Bad Brains, Freddie King and others, and references several famous venues and festivals, such as CBGB, Whiskey a Go-Go and Bonaroo.

The implication: If legendary musicians drink Jack Daniel’s during legendary shows at legendary clubs, shouldn’t we?

A tagged version of the spot (below) allows viewers to scroll frame by frame and explore the historical details.

You’re witnessing a case study in the making — a battle for market share, featuring classic brand positioning moves.

Brand positioning is the art and science of establishing and articulating a meaningful point of differentiation between a brand and its direct competitors.

In the smartphone category, Apple iPhone was the early leader. Known for its innovative technology and design, Apple commands worldwide attention with every new release. Historically, its competitors have had to play catchup.

Apple has sustained an intangible competitive advantage: friendliness. Based upon its design philosophy of making technology simple and easy to use, Apple has positioned itself as the friendly and fun brand of personal technology. Its marketing, including the TV spot below, reinforces these intangibles, without referencing its competitors — a typical leadership strategy.

Now, Apple’s competitors are not only matching Apple’s technological advancements, but also adopting its breezy, irreverent brand personality.

Samsung, in its TV spot for the Galaxy S III (below), effectively repositions the iPhone as somewhat behind the times while demonstrating its own advanced features. This repositioning strategy not only challenges Apple’s lock on the “coolness” factor, but claims segment leadership. Apple may be losing its intangible advantage. And in fact, globally, Samsung is the category leader.

Now comes Nokia. In its commercial for the Lumia 920, a Windows phone, Nokia pokes fun at both Apple and Samsung. This strategy is similar to 7UP’s classic Uncola campaign, which lifted 7UP into the same consideration set as dominant category leaders Coke and Pepsi. Its current spot (below) is heavy on sarcasm and light on features.

Will Apple reclaim its intangible advantage? Will Nokia move up the category ladder? And what is Blackberry’s strategy?

Sit back and enjoy the fun.

The essence of some brands ties directly to a cause, a tradition or a set of values. Such brands stand for something perceived by their followers as meaningful. The result is often deep loyalty.

Here are some examples of branding with a higher purpose:

Affinity brands inspire a community of diehard evangelists, drawn together by a shared goal or belief system. Consumers identify with affinity brands because they represent something other than profit-making. Examples include Patagonia (environmentalism), Whole Foods (sustainability) and Harley-Davidson (freedom of expression).

Artisan brands, like affinity brands, answer a higher calling. These brands are typically small and independent, and evoke David vs. Goliath empathy. Their products are typically handcrafted. Examples of artisan brands include Burt’s Bees, Tom’s of Maine and Ben & Jerry’s. Brands such as these risk consumer backlash if they sell to large conglomerates and become mainstream. (All of these examples have.)

Bespoke brands are artisan brands on steroids. They are both handmade and made-to-order, and therefore, one of a kind. Consumers of bespoke brands value high quality and extreme customization. An example of a bespoke brand is Vanilla Bicycles.

Place-of-origin brands often benefit through association with their shared geography, methodology and values. They signal a standard. Often, the community brand is better known than many of the individual brands. Examples of place-of-origin brands include Swiss-made watches, Kentucky bourbon and Edam cheese.

Which other brands serve a higher purpose?

To paraphrase the adage, a brand is sometimes known by the company it keeps.

A Bordeaux wine, for example. Or Wisconsin cheese.

Brands from a region known for producing a distinctive product can often benefit through association with their shared geography. It’s a form of co-branding called place-of-origin branding.

Many consumers ascribe positive attributes to products from certain regions, such as rum from Jamaica or perfume from France.

A place-of-origin brand emerges when independent brands within a region develop synergistically. Bourbon distillers in Kentucky, for example.

The stronger individual brands, through their success, define the regional brand. The weaker and newer brands benefit through association. And all benefit by protecting the regional essence from interlopers.

Frequently, place-of-origin brands band together to create standards with the support of local government. For example, Protected Geographical Status, a framework defined by European Union law, protects the reputation of regional food brands and eliminates unfair competition from non-genuine products. (To qualify as Roquefort, for example, cheese must be made from milk of a certain breed of sheep and matured in the caves near the town of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon in France. Or it’s not Roquefort.)

The Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry does much the same for its more than 500 members, representing over 90% of all Swiss-made watch manufacturers. Likewise New Zealand protects its wool, Kenya its coffee, and Idaho its potatoes.

When the community brand is stronger than the individual brand, “loving thy neighbor as thyself” may be more than a commandment. It may be the law.

“Differentiate or die” became a popular marketing buzz-phrase, following the release of the book by the same name.

However, a third (and I think more prevalent) course is simply muddling along.

Many, if not most, organizations seems to linger in brand limbo indefinitely, never identifying and leveraging a point of differentiation, never quite going out of business. Daily they negotiate a stay of execution, involving a combination of desperate tactics that keep them alive.

In fairness to the book, muddling along and dying may be one and the same. It’s only a matter of time.

Companies that muddle along are typically focused on short-term cost-cutting rather than long-term brand loyalty. Muddling along means:

• Competing as a commodity
• Cutting costs (and perceived value)
• Discounting and couponing
• Matching competitor’s prices (“We will not be undersold!”)
• Echoing competitor’s claims
• Copying competitor’s innovations
• Churning through customers
• Constantly experimenting with and investing in new marketing messages and channels

Differentiating means:

• Defining and owning a category
• Articulating how the brand is different, not how it is the same
• Charging a premium based upon a higher perceived value
• Innovating
• Building a base of loyal customers
• Creating a barrier to competition
• Establishing a foundation for new product launches
• Spending less on marketing over time through consistency

Disclaimer: This title links to the Amazon Associates Program.

Despite the multitude of branding consultants, theories, philosophies, processes, diagrams, white papers, and, of course, books, not all consumers care about brands.

For a variety of reasons, they may remain oblivious or choose to ignore a brand’s best efforts to engage them. Specifically:

• They may not care about a particular brand category. For example, they may not need home insurance. Marketing directed to them is wasted. At least, for now.

• Or they may not distinguish between the brands within a category. They may believe all brands of gasoline are identical. To them, gas is a commodity, so it doesn’t matter which brand they buy.

• They may not value a particular brand’s differentiating attribute. A car brand that centers on luxury may not resonate with consumers concerned about fuel economy.

• Some consumers are brand samplers by choice. They are intentionally disloyal to any particular brand because they enjoy experiencing multiple brands. For example, they may enjoy dining out at a variety of restaurants.

Strong brands target a well-defined set of desirable customers and work to build loyalty. They have the courage to differentiate, narrow their focus, and apply their resources where there is greater opportunity.

One size does not fit all.

Although there is no universal standard for determining a brand’s value (see earlier post), any legitimate equation must include loyalty.

Building loyalty is, after all, the sole purpose of branding.

• Loyalty is most relevantly measured in terms of frequency of purchase.
• Frequency varies widely by category. Car owners may buy only every couple of years; snack-food consumers multiple times a day.
• We are more loyal to some brand categories than others. For example, we care more about which brand of cereal we eat than where we bank. (See Brand Keys’ latest Customer Loyalty Engagement Index here.)
• The degree of loyalty to various brands varies widely by person, because a brand to one is a commodity to another (see earlier post).

Loyalty is a matter of degree. Here are four:

Situational loyalty: You are favorable toward a brand and, if given the opportunity, will occasionally select it.

Example: Your coworkers invite you to lunch at Subway. Although Subway is not your favorite restaurant, you’ve had positive experiences there in the past, so you accept.

Frequent loyalty: You like a brand and select it often, although not exclusively.

Example: You like variety and rotate between several different brands of craft beer.

Preferential loyalty: You prefer a particular brand, but if it is not available you will settle for another.

Example: When traveling, you usually rent from Hertz, but if they don’t have the class of car you prefer available, you switch to Avis.

Exclusive loyalty: In a particular category, only a certain brand is acceptable to you.

Example: You will only use a Blackberry smartphone. You recommend it to anyone who asks and to some who don’t.

Which brands are you exclusively loyal to?