Peel your average brand onion and you'll find tears of joy. Brands traits tend to be described in seventeen shades of positive: Upbeat. Cheery. Optimistic. And becuase nuance is so easily overlooked (so the theory goes) best not make any bones about it : Up for anything. Glass half full.

Truth is the the negative emotions are perhaps the richest. Think of the most memorable film you ever saw, chances are it wasn't simply happy ever after. And with so many happy-clappy brands around could yours find a bit of original traction by admitting a darker side? Impossible ? Not really, how about the 'No mercy' Weedol campaign or the digust driven underside of Marmite's 'You either love it or hate it' proposition. (Just don't do a Strand...)