Hollywood publicist Michael Levine lives in what many consider the beauty capital of the world, surrounded on a daily basis by gorgeous women. But he isn't satisfied. "Although I'm a successful, red-blooded American male," he confesses, "it is beauty alone that is keeping me single and lonely." He subscribes wholeheartedly to what is commonly called the "contrast effect": "Men are barraged with images ...

In his book The Brand Gap, Marty Neumeier presents five disciplines that help companies effectively create, cultivate, and protect their unique brands. In the process, he uncovers some interesting ways that corporate brands affect individual consumers:

Depending on your Unique Buying State, you can join any number of tribes on any number of days and feel part of something bigger than yourself. You ...