The Most Powerful Letter in Branding

A good friend just got back from South Korea. Her first text to me wasn't about the temples or the food. It was: "Have any other countries done what Korea has done with a single letter?"And thanks to Ruth Jouanne, I've been turning that question over all week.No other country has built what Korea has built. Not Bollywood. Not the British Invasion. Not Nordic Noir. Each of those is a landmark. "K-" is something different. It's a master brand that extends across music, drama, beauty, food, and film, with each new category inheriting the equity of everything that came before.And here's the interesting part: Korea didn't design it. The world named it. Korea was just smart enough to build on what was being handed to them.This week's Brandistry Buzz is about what they built, how they built it, and what it means for your brand.