Boost Your Brand's "Cool" Factor by 20% Using [SECRET PRODUCT]

Summary

Podcast Summary: Brain Driven Brands

Episode: Boost Your Brand's "Cool" Factor by 20% Using [SECRET PRODUCT]
Host: Sarah Levinger
Date: November 4, 2025

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Episode Theme & Purpose

In this episode, Sarah Levinger unpacks a fascinating neuromarketing insight: your brand’s “cool factor” can increase by 20% just by launching a specific kind of quirky product. Drawing examples from major brands like True Classic, Spotify, and Crocs, Sarah dives into the psychology behind why oddball, off-category brand extensions captivate audiences—and how e-commerce companies can use this tactic to boost sales, brand affinity, and consumer engagement.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Dual Skillset Marketers Need

• Sarah opens by praising creative + analytical thinkers in marketing—those who can "look at data, understand it, internalize it, interpret it, do analysis, and then execute."
  • Quote: “I very rarely meet a marketer who can look at data...and then understand how to execute on it. That's a very, very rare skill set.” — Sarah [00:20]

Science Quiz: What Makes Brands Cooler?

• Sarah presents a scientific finding: brands become 20% "cooler" in the eyes of consumers when they release absurd, unrelated mini-products.
  • Not About:
    • Edgy/controversial products (e.g., cigarettes) [02:27]
    • Fashionable merch or simple premium product lines [02:38, 02:50]
  • Correct Answer (Revealed):
    • "If you launch an absurd mini product, it could increase the cool factor of your brand by 20%." — Sarah [03:23]
    • Examples: cybersecurity-themed toys, fried chicken nail polish, spicy toothpaste from a hot pot brand

Explanation & Psychology Behind Weird Brand Extensions

• These products succeed because they:
  • Add fun and surprise to the brand experience
  • Are conversation starters
  • Break category conventions
  • Signal that a brand is bold and creative
• Scientific basis: "This was across four experiments, 1,454 people, and an analysis of over 5,000 social media comments. Scientists found that...people thought the brand was 20% cooler after launching these products." — Sarah [04:01]

Notable Real-World Examples

• Crocs: Customizable “tchotchkes” to decorate shoes, described as “shoe bedazzle” items [06:16]
• Liquid Death: Partnerships with makeup brands (e.g., coffin-shaped makeup), watches, goth-themed accessories [07:03]
• Jack Daniels / Ford / Coors: Licensing with watch brands, not for unit sales but for brand elevation [07:34]
• McDonald’s / Adidas: Sauce-themed sneaker collab significantly boosted “cool” ratings [08:49]

Implementation Tips & Psychological Nuance

• The effect is stronger when:
  • The brand is already popular or well-known [08:49]
  • Both brands co-brand the extension
• The effect is weaker if:
  • The new product is too related/close to the core brand (needs to be “off the wall”) [08:49]
• Quote: “You need to find good connections with brands that don’t share a lot of headspace in the category but are interesting together." — Sarah [08:14]

Fun Brainstorm: Brand Extension Ideas

• Brainstorming a whiskey-themed hat brand extension: fortune cookies for blue-collar men with tongue-in-cheek whiskey fortunes inside [10:02–11:06]
  • Memorable moment: “Can you do a whiskey themed fortune cookie where it’s like, inside everyone’s like...have another one more round.” — Sarah [10:17]
  • Both hosts gush over the potential for delight and word-of-mouth [10:35–11:10]
• Practical tip: Custom fortune cookies are inexpensive, lightweight, and highly customizable [10:46]

Action Encouraged for Listeners

• “Everybody go out this week, test some really weird brand products. If you can, go get fortune cookies, please, and just tailor them to whatever you’re talking about in your brand.” — Sarah [11:13]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• [00:20] Sarah: “I very rarely meet a marketer who can look at data, understand it...and then understand how to execute on it. That's a very, very rare skill set.”
• [03:23] Sarah: “If you launch an absurd mini product, it could increase the cool factor of your brand by 20%.”
• [04:01] Sarah: “When real brands launched these kind of extremely unrelated products...people thought the brand was 20% cooler after launching these products.”
• [06:16] Sarah: “Crocs has those little tiny tchotchkes that you can put on the shoe...Shoe bedazzle basically.”
• [08:14] Sarah: “Find good connections with brands that don’t share a lot of headspace in the category but are interesting together.”
• [10:17] Sarah: “Can you do a whiskey themed fortune cookie where it’s like, inside everyone’s like...have another one more round.”
• [11:13] Sarah: “Everybody go out this week, test some really weird brand products...get fortune cookies, please, and just tailor them to whatever you’re talking about in your brand.”

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:14–01:11: Dual skillsets in marketing; intro banter on energy drinks and creativity
• 01:41–03:23: Science quiz on raising brand coolness—guessing and reveal
• 03:32–04:26: Psychology behind “absurd mini-products” and supporting research
• 06:16–07:34: Crocs and Liquid Death as best-in-class examples
• 07:34–08:49: Licensing stories; co-branding and effect strength
• 10:02–11:13: Fortune cookie brainstorm; practical tips; call to action for listeners

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Takeaway for Brands

Launching a quirky, unexpected, totally offbeat mini-product or partnership can measurably boost your brand’s coolness in consumers’ minds—especially if you think way outside your normal category. Whether it’s hot pot toothpaste, fried chicken nail polish, or tongue-in-cheek fortune cookies, “the weirder the better” is the secret sauce here.

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For detailed psychological tactics and more brainstorm inspiration, give this episode a listen!

Transcript

[A]

Welcome back to Brain Driven Brands. Sarah didn't hit recording time, but she just said something about how naturally talented and gifted I am. And I think she said, I was built different. We didn't get it on camera, but I wanted that in the episode. What's up, Sarah? How are you?

[B]

You are built different. I have worked with a lot of marketers over the course of the last, like, decade and a half. God, I'm old. Decade and a half of being in marketing work with a lot of different marketers. And I will say there's some very talented people in this industry. There's a lot of people I've worked with that are, like, so good at what they do. I very rarely meet a marketer who can look at data, understand it, like, internalize it, interpret it, do analysis, and then understand how to execute on it. That's like a very, very rare skill set where you are both creative and analytical at the same time. And I think that's the way my brain works as well. So I'm like, oh, you just take it and execute. And you're like, all right, print money. Print money.

[A]

So, yeah, yeah, no, I think. I think God gave me a good brain, and then I think the. I think I've gotten the balance of Red Bull and whiskey right. Red Bull is focus, analytical, whiskey, creativity, soul, you know? So, yeah, no, it's been good. It's treated me well.

[B]

So take away from this episode. Drink more Red Bull.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And drink more whiskey. I drink none of those things. And I'm about to cut out coffee because let me just tell you, 37 is just rocking my. And I can't. I can't do it anymore. I'm so tired, guys. All the time, tired. Outside of you being a good marketer, though, I do have a fun scientific quiz today. You want to do a science quiz?

[A]

Yeah, let's do it. This will bring my ego down for the intro because I never get these right.

[B]

We gotta get you back down.

[A]

Yeah, let's humble me quick.

[B]

Okay. These are so fun, though, because this is one that I think is interesting, and I have so many ideas for you guys now that you're working with Adapt Naturals, shout out to them, great brand, great company, really good products. This is so weird. And I want to see what kind of thing you would develop after this particular one. Okay? So according to this particular scientific study, you can increase the cool factor of your brand by 20% by launching a very specific type of cool product. What type of product is it? The cool factor. We're increasing this by 20% if you just launch this type of product.

[A]

All right, let me get three answers in.

[B]

Okay, I'm ready.

[A]

Number one, Is it something like. You're gonna laugh at this. Is it something like cigarettes or like a controlled substance or something. Something edgy?

[B]

That's actually a really good guess, but no, it is not something edgy.

[A]

Okay, Is it something. It's like more fashion forward. So your company that doesn't necessarily make apparel, but like, launching a line of something.

[B]

It is not merch. It's not anything in the merch kind of area. That's a really good guess, though. God, I want to see people go test these out. Because all, like, both of those were good guesses.

[A]

Final guess, type of product that makes a brand 20% cooler.

[B]

Yep, 20% cooler. If you launch this type of product, think more. I don't know, like, think a little bit more abstract. Is that a good hint? I don't even know.

[A]

We're thinking, is it just a more expensive product?

[B]

Oh, that was a good guess, but no.

[A]

All right, what is it?

[B]

Okay, according to science, if you launch an absurd mini product, it could increase the cool factor of your brand by 20%.

[A]

I just saw G Shock do this.

[B]

Oh, did you really? Okay, so we're talking about, like, spin off products that are in unrelated categories. For example, cybersecurity, theme toys, fried chicken, nail polish, or like mascara water bottles. Like, think weird.

[A]

All right, all right. So when you say mini, you don't mean small.

[B]

Not just small, but just like an.

[A]

Offshoot of a product completely a different thing. Oh, that's cool. That makes sense.

[B]

Anything that's like, sort of related to your product, but not exactly related to you. So this was across four experiments, 1,454 people, and an analysis of over 5,000 social media comments. Scientists found that when real brands launched these kind of like, extremely unrelated products, like KFC fried chicken scented nail polish, people thought the brand was 20% cooler after launching these particular products.

[A]

Do you know there's a. There's a Lamborghini wine.

[B]

There's a Lamborghini wine.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Oh, my God. I mean, that's legit, though. That's actually really well related.

[A]

And I think I've seen, like, Ferrari, like, coasters and stuff. Yeah, I get it.

[B]

So, yes. So you could term this a little bit as merch, but the way I'm interpreting this is they have to be like, very odd things. Like, it doesn't. It's literally just like a for fun product. So I'm not talking about merch that has like your brand on it and it's like we're going to give you an umbrella or like we're going to give you like perfume or whatever that literally one of the examples they have is spicy flavored toothpaste that came from a hot pot brand. And people were like, yes, this is amazing. So, and I've seen only one brand do this incredibly well. Crocs capitalizes on this better than anybody I've ever seen.

[A]

What do they do?

[B]

Let's pause for just a minute.

[A]

Prospecting on Meta in 2025 has been a huge pain. Reaching net new people is getting harder and harder and harder. And the only thing Meta seems to care about is rolling out more AI slot features that take away a lot of our controls as advertisers. So brands have been looking for another side and they're turning to other side. Other side is an agency that figured out how to turn programmatic advertising into a performance marketing channel. They're able to advertise outside the Meta eco system, show clear and accurate attribution, and they have the ability to prospect and retarget across platforms. So you're able to unlock huge new audiences that aren't like us. They're not chronically on Meta and Instagram. For brain driven brands listeners, they're running a crazy offer right now. They'll run your ads for free for two months to prove to you it works. Then you can either part ways or continue at their normal affordable retainer. But they're making this risk free and it's a no brainer for you to try. So go to jointheotherside.com and let them know we sent you.

[B]

And now back to the show. Crocs has those little tiny like tchotchkes that you can put on the shoe.

[A]

Oh yeah, right, yeah, they're literally just.

[B]

Like shoe bedazzle basically.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

You know what I'm talking about. And they're like these little, I don't even know, cartoon characters or there's like a hot dog you can put on it or like weirdest little thing like cotton candy. It's literally just to make the shoe interesting to use. So I think that's what the psychology is around. This is like people really want just odd, fun, interesting things that don't necessarily add to the product, they just add to the experience of it. And it, from what I could tell, it's got to be a little weird, like fried chicken nail polish. Okay, so I have brands that do this already. You want me to list the Ones that I know.

[A]

Yeah, let's go a few real ones and then we'll try to come up with their own.

[B]

Outside of Crocs, I have seen Liquid Death do this. They partner with like makeup brands. They had that little coffin makeup thing that I absolutely love because for one thing there's a lot of like women who were goth or men who were goth in their high school years that.

[A]

I did a watch too.

[B]

Really? Yeah, they've done a watches. They've done all kinds of interesting things where if you're in kind of that mode of like you just like dark things, this matches so incredibly well. And I mean for them obviously it was like a good brand play, but stuff like that I think is. Is fantastic.

[A]

So I've actually been on the other side of this for a couple of of years. We had licensing deals with Jack Daniels and Ford and Coors who don't make watches, but they were like, that is a thing that makes our brand cooler and more premium. We heard that over and over again. Like we couldn't really sell enough watches that would be like interesting to like brown Foreman's bottle. Like bottom line, because they're a four billion dollar a year company, but like they loved what they did for the elevation and like premiumization of the brand.

[B]

Yes. What I. I'd be so interested to see some of these brands do something like this where they. It's sister brands partnering together.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Like breeze. I haven't seen partner with literally anybody. I'm like, you're actually a really good brand for this because you got kind of that like psychedelic kind of like what do you call it, like rainbow kind of a. A thing going on. I'm like, why don't you guys go partner with like My Little Pony? Yeah, you know how many adults love My Little Pony, like that type of stuff. I want to find good connections with brands that literally don't have any. They don't share a whole lot of head space in the category, but they're just, they're well suited to each other just based upon like how interesting they are together. So. Yeah, that's a really good example.

[A]

What would you do for. For adapt.

[B]

That's what I. Okay, so this is what I was trying to think of. So there's a couple caveats to this effect. The effect apparently is stronger when the brand is popular or well known. You guys have the added benefit of like your founder has a pretty iconic face. The effect is stronger when the extension is co branded. So for example, people rated McDonald's 9.7.2% cooler when they launched a sauce themed sneaker with Adidas, which I found really interesting. It's also weaker when the new product is in a category near the core brands. 1. This is the reason why I say it has to be like, off the wall. You. It's got to be off the wall for you.

[A]

I can't believe I didn't think of this. I've been doing this my whole career.

[B]

Isn't it so interesting? I'm like, o, no, I want to.

[A]

See what should I do for my little side hustle whiskey themed hat brand? By the way, guys, shooting doubles dot com. I'll talk about it. Go buy some hats.

[B]

Yeah, you should please start talking about it. Oh, the side hustle.

[A]

Have you seen. Have I sent you? How many country artists have bought and worn hats organically from me without me doing anything?

[B]

Are you saving these images? You need to save them. Okay. Yeah. Use them. Holy God. Okay, now we. We have, like, we haven't even opened up this box of like, I know.

[A]

I sprung it on you today.

[B]

You totally did. Okay. All right, all right. So great example of this. And I'm just going to steal this from their examples because I can't think of these off the top of my head very quickly. I like this idea of fortune cookies. Can you do a whiskey themed fortune cookie where it's like inside everyone's like.

[A]

It'S just like hard rock.

[B]

Like, just like blue collar.

[A]

Just like have another one more round.

[B]

Yeah, I want to see this. I want to see some fortune freaking cookies only for blue collar men. There you go.

[A]

That'd be so funny to drop fortune cookies into boxes of hats.

[B]

Do it. Oh, my God. And this would be such a surprise and delight. People would talk about it and you.

[A]

Open it and it's just like, I see six whiskeys in your near future. Yeah.

[B]

Oh, can you please do it? Do you also know that fortune cookies are actually really cheap to source? Because I've looked into it for many, many brands in the past. We were almost going to do it for the hotel that I worked at in my 20s. They're very cheap. They're very easy to generate. They're really easy to ship because they're super light.

[A]

Yeah, you can like, customize the messages.

[B]

Customize it? Yeah, you can customize messages for whatever you want.

[A]

Like, I think I should do it.

[B]

Oh, let's do it. Let's try it. Okay.

[A]

I like that. I like the weird accessory play.

[B]

Weird accessories. The weirder the better. I think in this particular case. So everybody go out this week, test some really weird brand products. If you can, go get fortune cookies, please, and just tailor them to whatever you're talking about in your brand.

[A]

Can I tell you that I just had to tell my new boss that I need the Airbnb to be stocked with Red Bull at our first trip and I haven't heard from him since. So I don't know if he's or.

[B]

Not, but he may not have a job after.

[A]

We'll see.

[B]

There you go. That's our quiz for today.

[A]

Thanks for listening to Brain Driven Brands. You can follow me and Sarah if you want and if you don't, then you probably just make less money. That's fine if you want to do that. So thanks for listening. See you next time.

[B]

Bye. Thank you so much for joining us on the show today. Appreciate you guys listening. If you want to follow me, I'm arahlevinger. Anywhere you consume content, he is Aelagos. If you like this show and if you like this episode, go ahead and like subscribe. Share with a friend. Drop us a review when you have a minute. We would appreciate it. Otherwise, have a great week. We'll see you next time.