Tom Rinks got his start in the commission-only "shark tank" of midwestern furniture sales. That’s where he learned what makes customers buy. Decades later, those instincts helped him grow a joke of a side hustle into a $400 million success.

In 2009, he created the iconic branding for an obscure sun tan lotion, drawing on a mish-mash of surf culture, Scandinavian furniture, and Japanese streetwear. Sun Bum became a huge success, but even before that, Tom helped boost a wildly diverse range of brands: a line of tequila, a series of Christian videos, and the ubiquitous “Yo quiero Taco Bell” campaign. All were successful, though it took a prolonged legal battle for Tom to get paid for the Taco Bell chihuahua. 

In this episode, Tom reveals how he learned to manipulate consumer psychology, survive the brutal warfare of a stolen idea, and engineer a brand explosion on his own terms. 

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

• Chihuahuas and Apes: How the Right Mascot can Transform a Brand 
• What it takes to survive a five-year legal battle against a corporate titan.
• The "Elvis Principle:”  How combining unexpected design elements can create an unforgettable package 
• The "Trojan Horse" Strategy: Why forcing retailers to buy a massive display creates the illusion of a brand overnight.

TIMESTAMPS

• 08:15 - What selling furniture taught Tom about customer psychology 
• 10:00 - How the Slogan “Surf Michigan” got him into the T-shirt Business 
• 25:07 - Psycho Chihuahua, Taco Bell, and the Branding Deal that Wasn’t  
• 33:49 - Inside the grueling battle over a chihuahua mascot. “I was the guy suing Taco Bell.” 
• 39:35 - A dramatic legal verdict, and Tom’s branding business takes off with fancy Tequila 
• 49:47 - The sun screen opportunity: “I saw a gigantic hole that you could drive through.” 
• 55:03 - How Tom and his partner came up with their “badass ape” logo 
• 1:07:36 - Opening (fake) Sun Bum headquarters in Cocoa Beach, Fla 
• 1:10:31- Early store displays and making the brand seem bigger than it was 
• 1:14:56 - A $400M sale to SC Johnson, and Tom starts a new company

This episode was researched by Katherine Sypher and Susannah Broun and produced by Casey Herman, with music by Ramtin Arablouei, and edited by Neva Grant.  

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