I’m inclined to agree with Dan with respect to Southwest Airlines and Apple. Just because a brand is hyped up, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s overrated.

@Kelly – Duds are going to slip in when a company is continuing to take risks to maintain their status at the top via innovation. Without the risk, and without learning from the failures of duds, I doubt you get the huge rewards that accompany the process; instead you get a stagnant brand.

Let’s distinguish between worthless brands that have become parodies of themselves (Trump) and companies that make money in part due to excellent branding.

The sales and profits of Apple and SWA speak for themselves. It’s absurd to say they are overrated.

Apple was one of the brands on the list that I am struggling with too. I’ve been an Apple fanatic for years (probably stems from my roots in design). Apple products just seem to look and work better.

In the case of Apple, Lucas says that there “true appeal comes from the fact that consumers are hooked on hype.”

What do you think? Are we blinded by the hype?