Around for more than 100 years, Monopoly has always been much more than a game. Its board design, playing pieces and rules have been revamped time and time again to reflect the ethos, cultures and experiences of the people who use them. Maybe that’s because Monopoly didn’t start out as a game.

All the popular annual holidays are built around clearly recognized, authentic brands—core symbols, colors and language inspired by a mission statement that people understand and that brings them together in common cause. Christmas is red and green, with evergreen trees, snowflakes, gold stars and “merry, jolly, bright.” Halloween is scary black and orange, with jack-o-lanterns, black cats, witch hats and “trick or treat.” The Fourth of July is red, white and blue, stars and stripes, firecrackers and “God Bless America.”

I was surprised recently to discover that I had fallen way behind in understanding just how far brands had evolved in engaging with customers on a sensory level. I was well aware of the evolution from what a brand looks like (logo, colors, graphics, typefaces) to how a brand speaks (tone, style, language, voice) to what a brand sounds like. And I was comfortable in my belief that distinctive audio signatures, like Intel and NBC use, were the most recent advances in bringing brands to life.

When I’m at the gym I know I should be focused on my posture, my breathing and nothing else, but I usually can’t help being distracted by the branding around me. And I mean that as a compliment. Instead of being distracted by branding snafus I’d like to fix, Equinox draws my attention for getting so much right.

Dr. Pepper 10 is a recent entry in the carbonated soft drink arena. It’s filling a gap in the market because it has way less sugar and fewer calories than regular soda and way more sugar and calories than diet soda. What’s getting it noticed, however, is the overt exclusivity communicated in the brand’s advertising campaign: “It’s not for women.”

I think we would all agree that a vending machine isn’t a place you go looking for a positive and enlightening brand experience. Even if a machine is appealing from a graphic and industrial design standpoint, you’re already mentally preparing yourself for disappointment when you push a button—stale product, empty calories, lost money.

Like a lot of people, I was familiar with three different kinds of product counterfeiters and how they put brands to work to fake out consumers. (Note that I am making a big distinction here between pirates or smugglers who sell stolen property, and counterfeiters. Not a moral or legal distinction, but a tactics and execution distinction.)