It sure looks like it. Most of the recent marketing successes are visual successes, not verbal ones. Here are 10 examples from my recent book, Visual Hammer (www.visualhammer.com).

1. The lime.

Until 2009, there had never been a Mexican brand on Interbrand's list of 100 most valuable global brands. There is now: Corona, the beer with the lime on top of the bottle.

Today, Corona is the 86th most valuable global brand, worth $3.9 billion. In the United States, Corona outsells Heineken, the No. 2 imported beer, by more than 50 percent.

2. The chalice.

A second imported beer is moving up the ladder in America and for exactly the same reason Corona was so successful. It's Stella Artois from Belgium.

Stella Artois is the Budweiser of Belgium, so ordinary fast-food restaurants sell it in plastic cups.

No plastic cups for Stella Artois in the U.S. market. The importer provided bars and restaurants with its unique, gold-tipped chalice glasses.

Today, Stella Artois is one of the top 10 imported beer brands in America.

3. The silver bullet.

The only mainstream beer that has increased its market share in the past few years is Coors Light, the silver bullet.

Coors Light has already passed Miller Lite, the first light-beer brand, and recently Coors Light also steamed past Budweiser to become the second largest-selling beer brand in America.

4.  The duck.

Then there's the remarkable transformation of Aflac, the company that brought us the duck. In the year 2000, the company had name recognition of just 12 percent.

Today it's 94 percent. And sales have gone up just as dramatically.

The first year after the duck arrived, Aflac sales increased 29 percent. And 28 percent the second year. And 18 percent the third year.

5.  The pink ribbon.

In 1982, Nancy Brinker started a foundation to fight breast cancer in memory of her sister, Susan G. Komen, who had died from the disease. Since then, Susan G. Komen for the Cure has raised nearly $2 billion.

Today, it's the world's-largest non-profit source of money to combat breast cancer. A recent Harris poll of non-profit charitable brands rated Komen for the Cure as the charity that consumers were "Most likely to donate to."

6.  The red soles.

Look at the success of Christian Louboutin, a French designer who regularly tops The Luxury Institute's index of "most prestigious women's shoes."

In 1992, he applied red nail polish to the sole of a shoe because he felt the shoes lacked energy.

"This was such a success," he reported, "that it became a permanent fixture." And ultimately built the phenomenally successful Louboutin brand.

7.  The green jacket.

In the world of professional golf, there are four major championships: (1) The U.S. Open, (2) The British Open, (3) The PGA Championship and (4) The Masters. The first three are hosted by major golf organizations, but the Masters is hosted by a private club, the Augusta National Golf Club.

Every, year the Masters gets more attention than any of the other three  events.

8. The colonel.

Consider KFC, now the leading fast-food restaurant chain in China with more than 3,800 units in 800 cities.

To most Chinese people, the letters "K F C" mean nothing, but Col. Sanders is known as a famous American and the leading fried-chicken brand.

9.  The Coke bottle.

What Coca-Cola calls its "contour" bottle is 96 years old. Few are currently sold but recently, the company gave its iconic bottle a major role to play in its advertising programs.

The results have been impressive. Recently Diet Coke passed regular Pepsi-Cola to become the second best-selling cola drink.

10.  The cowboy.

And look what the cowboy has done for Marlboro cigarettes. The year Marlboro was introduced, there were four strong cigarette brands in America: Lucky Strike, Camel, Winston and Chesterfield.

Yet today, Marlboro is by far the leading brand, outselling the next 13 brands combined.

It's also the world's best-selling cigarette brand.

About Laura Ries

Laura Ries is president of Ries & Ries (www.ries.com), a marketing consulting firm in Atlanta. Laura and her partner/father, Positioning pioneer Al Ries - have co-written six books on branding that challenge conventional wisdom. Al's revolutionary book "Positioning: The battle for your mind" taught us words are important in marketing and now Laura's book "Visual Hammer" (www.VisualHammer.com) tells us why visuals are more powerful.

Iowa Farm Bureau Economic Summit Brings National Media, Hundreds of Farmers to Ames

WEST DES MOINES, IOWA - July 25, 2012 - Impacts of the most widespread drought to hit Iowa topped many expert panel discussions during the Iowa Farm Bureau Economic Summit this week in Ames.  More than 400 Iowa farmers and agribusiness industry leaders came to Scheman Auditorium July 23-24 for perspectives from national experts in banking, fiscal policy, commodity marketing and climate change.

Many panelists at the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF)-sponsored event agreed the agricultural sector is constantly evolving and currently highly volatile. Planning is crucial to maintain economic sustainability for Iowa farmers, currently impacted by drought-squeezed yields, rising farmland values and livestock feed costs.  "The consistent message was make long-term plans, and make sure you're grounded in reality," said IFBF Director of Research and Commodity Services David Miller.  "Land prices topping $10,000 to $15,000 an acre involve a lot of emotion, both for sellers and the buyers.  Multiple experts at our event agreed it is vital our farmers have long-term repayment capacity to weather the many variables that affect their bottom line," said Miller.  "Drought impacts on the nation's leading grain-producing states are driving corn and soybean prices through the roof now, but the reality is there is no guarantee this price rally is sustainable.  Yield prospects vary stalk-to-stalk this year, and we won't know what our yields will be until we're in the fields for harvest."

Economist Danny Klinefelter of Texas A&M University and Jeff Plagge, president & CEO of Northwest Financial Corp., and vice-chair of the American Bankers Association, to Iowa State University climatologist and weather expert Elwynn Taylor, a panel of D.C. experts from the Senate and House Ag Committees and Daniel Mitchell of the D.C. 'think tank,' the CATO Institute, were among the nationally-recognized monetary, policy, trade and economic experts tapped for the July IFBF economic summit.

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About Iowa Farm Bureau

The Iowa Farm Bureau Federation is a grassroots, statewide organization dedicated to enhancing the People, Progress and Pride of Iowa.  More than 153,000 families in Iowa are Farm Bureau members, working together to achieve farm and rural prosperity.  For more information about Farm Bureau and agriculture, visit the online Newsroom page at www.iowafarmbureau.com.

Takes Part in Hearing with Secretary of Defense and Secretary of Veterans Affairs

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Dave Loebsack today continued his work to improve Veterans' services and benefits.  As the only member of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) from Iowa, Loebsack took part in a joint hearing with the House Veterans Affairs Committee on how to ease the transition from military service to civilian life.  Earlier this month, Loebsack held a series of forums for Iowa Veterans across Eastern and Southeastern Iowa.  He then personally met with senior VA leadership to bring Iowa Veterans' concerns and idea directly to them.

"Our Veterans have proudly served our nation and it is our responsibility to support and care for them when they return home. I have helped Iowa Veterans secure VA benefits, and there is no greater honor I have than working on their behalf.  However, no Veteran should have to fight to find a job here at home or to receive the Veterans benefits they deserve.  Our nation has a moral responsibility to ensure they receive the care and benefits they deserve and to give them the tools they need to secure good job and successfully transition to civilian life.

"Today's hearing focused on an issue of concern to countless Iowa Veterans I have met.  There must be greater coordination between the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs to help Veterans successfully transition to civilian life.  As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I will continue to stand up for our Veterans and work to ensure they receive the support, benefits, and care they need and deserve."

Loebsack has championed numerous initiatives to assist Veterans transitioning to civilian life, including introducing and successfully enacting legislation to increase Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits for members of the National Guard.  This legislation resulted in increased benefits for over 1,300 Iowans and over 84,000 members of the National Guard nationwide.  Loebsack also championed the VOW to Hire Veterans Act, which was signed into law last year. This bill provides businesses with tax credits of $2,400-$9,600 to hire veterans and extends the Transition Assistance Program, including resume writing workshops and career counseling, to all servicemembers leaving the military.  It also expanded training opportunities for older veterans by providing up to a year of additional Montgomery GI benefits, and provided disabled veterans with up to a year of additional Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Benefits.  Loebsack also introduced and secured enactment of an initiative to increase access to mental health care for members of the National Guard.