Using history to build a brand in Minnesota

Minnesota is home to an impressive collection of iconic consumer brands, from Betty Crocker to Post-It notes, and a number of companies have set up museums or exhibits as a way to tell the state's unique business story. At the same time, they use their heritage to call attention to their products.

Akshay Rao, a marketing professor at the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management, says history can be a powerful tool for building a brand.

"Brands are the basis for the formation of an emotional connection between consumers and a corporation," Rao says. "That is -- two guys sitting in a garage putting together computers, or a guy with a waffle iron working on a sneaker, or some guy in Seattle deciding to make better coffee than anyone else."...