Coca-Cola's legal team extended its IP moat beyond the brand name. They commissioned a bottle "so distinct that you would recognize it by feel in the dark" and successfully argued for its shape to be granted trademark status, a rare accomplishment that created a powerful, non-verbal brand defender.

By launching a beer so strong (30% ABV) that it is illegal in 15 states, Sam Adams creates an aura of exclusivity and rebellion. This "banned" status generates significant earned media and attracts connoisseurs, turning a product limitation into a powerful marketing tool that reinforces the brand's craft credentials.

After being rejected by their bank, the founders went to HSBC and bluffed that their original bank had just offered the exact finance package they needed. This created FOMO and social proof, convincing HSBC to fund them immediately and save their Tesco contract.

The viral AI agent Clawdbot was renamed to Moltbot after a "trademark-related request" from Anthropic. Creator Peter Steinberger executed the entire rebrand in about an hour, a stark contrast to the months or years corporations typically spend on such changes.

The beer industry is a powerful training ground for marketers. With functionally identical products, success hinges purely on branding, teaching marketers how emotion, advertising, and sponsorships drive consumer choice when product differentiation is nonexistent.

Costco is suing the Trump administration over tariffs, not just as a legal strategy, but as a public relations move. It signals to customers that Costco will fight anyone, even the president, to uphold its core value proposition of saving people money.

When Gillette sued Dollar Shave Club, Michael Dubin understood it was more than a patent dispute. He recognized it as a classic incumbent playbook move: use legal battles to drain a startup's resources and make it appear unattractive to potential investors and acquirers. This framing helps founders contextualize and endure such attacks.

BrewDog's famous stunts worked because they were built on a deep foundation of product obsession, community engagement, and brand integrity. Without this base, stunts appear fake, shallow, and ultimately harm the brand rather than help it.

Facing hundreds of "something-cola" imitators, Coca-Cola waged a massive legal war using the new Federal Trademark Act. They successfully argued, all the way to the Supreme Court, that "cola" was not a generic beverage type but an integral part of their unique, trademarked brand, effectively litigating an entire category into submission.