I'd say that Levi's would be a study on marketing hype. Nothing special about the 501 jeans... but the hype surrounding it made each and every person in Europe that knew when I was coming there to request for a pair or three on my trips from the US.

The marketing hype made people do illegal stuff to get a pair.

Meanwhile, Miller/Coors/Bud... even Americans know those are crap beers. I don't drink those beers even when they're on sale. I don't damn sure drink them when I go to Europe - better exists for cheaper.

But the counter to that, Heineken. In the states, it's seen as a beer with prestige. It's not... it's a cheap beer in Holland and many better options exist. In the states, it costs quite a bit much more and folks equate that to something special.

In terms of gadgets though... Nokia has always been too expensive in the US and N-series has had very little distribution.