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.&nbsp;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.&nbsp;WHAT YOU'LL LEARN<ul><li>Chihuahuas and Apes: How the Right Mascot can Transform a Brand&nbsp;</li><li>What it takes to survive a five-year legal battle against a corporate titan.</li><li>The "Elvis Principle:”&nbsp; How combining unexpected design elements can create an unforgettable package&nbsp;</li><li>The "Trojan Horse" Strategy: Why forcing retailers to buy a massive display creates the illusion of a brand overnight.</li></ul>TIMESTAMPS<ul><li>08:15 - What selling furniture taught Tom about customer psychology&nbsp;</li><li>10:00 - How the Slogan “Surf Michigan” got him into the T-shirt Business&nbsp;</li><li>25:07 - Psycho Chihuahua, Taco Bell, and the Branding Deal that Wasn’t&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>33:49 - Inside the grueling battle over a chihuahua mascot. “I was the guy suing Taco Bell.”&nbsp;</li><li>39:35 - A dramatic legal verdict, and Tom’s branding business takes off with fancy Tequila&nbsp;</li><li>49:47 - The sun screen opportunity: “I saw a gigantic hole that you could drive through.”&nbsp;</li><li>55:03 - How Tom and his partner came up with their “badass ape” logo&nbsp;</li><li>1:07:36 - Opening (fake) Sun Bum headquarters in Cocoa Beach, Fla&nbsp;</li><li>1:10:31- Early store displays and making the brand seem bigger than it was&nbsp;</li><li>1:14:56 - A $400M sale to SC Johnson, and Tom starts a new company</li></ul>This episode was researched by Katherine Sypher and Susannah Broun and produced by Casey Herman, with music by Ramtin Arablouei, and edited by Neva Grant. &nbsp;Follow How I Built This:Instagram → <a href="https://www.instagram.com/howibuiltthis/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@howibuiltthis</a>X → <a href="https://x.com/howibuiltthis" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@HowIBuiltThis</a>Facebook → <a href="https://www.facebook.com/howibuiltthis" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">How I Built This</a>Follow Guy Raz:Instagram → <a href="https://www.instagram.com/guy.raz/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@guy.raz</a>Youtube →<a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNSfrxNEmCruNtjIzxCBHjg" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> guy_raz</a>X → <a href="https://x.com/guyraz" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@guyraz</a>Substack →<a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__http:/guyraz.substack.com__;!!Iwwt!RZoD751oWzUzoqqdJiqaoL6HdJfRHDUO1TKvYJ424d3Udn7-Pw9Nj6nEsauh9zcgEvLjUEc$" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> </a><a href="http://guyraz.substack.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">guyraz.substack.com</a>Website →<a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__http:/guyraz.substack.com__;!!Iwwt!RZoD751oWzUzoqqdJiqaoL6HdJfRHDUO1TKvYJ424d3Udn7-Pw9Nj6nEsauh9zcgEvLjUEc$" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> </a><a href="http://guyraz.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">guyraz.com</a>See Privacy Policy at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy</a> and California Privacy Notice at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info</a>.

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Sun Bum: Tom Rinks. The Secrets of a Master Brand Builder (2023)

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