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ALESSI HOMEWARE

The Italian designer brand combines design with technology to create functional, desirable household objects. From Anna G - a corkscrew - to radios named Poe, Alessi pushes the boundaries of function and form.

Its strategy is guided by the creativity of designers such as Philippe Starck, rather than the whims of the market. Of Alessi's products, 65% are exported to more than 60 countries and its customers typically build collections over a lifetime.

ENTERPRISE CAR RENTAL

Enterprise has quietly grown to become the biggest car rental company in the US by rejecting the convention of concentrating on holiday and airport sites. It has evolved in the inner cities, focusing on short-term and replacement rentals. A service culture enables Enterprise to charge a premium and enter markets that seem saturated. It generates more than $7bn from a fleet of 600,000 cars.

GOOGLE INTERNET

In 1995, university students Larry Page and Sergey Brin created a search engine. Within 5 years it was dealing with 100m web searches a day. With more than 80m users sifting through 8bn web pages, Google is the world's leading search engine and has grown entirely through word of mouth. Its revenues are driven by enabling advertisers to target users in sophisticated and efficient ways.

IKEA FURNISHING

Ingvar Kamprad set out from his Elmtaryd farm in the village of Agunnaryd - hence the letters forming IKEA - with a mission to 'create a better everyday life for the many people'. Since 1943 it has focused on democratising design by offering a wide range of well-designed, functional home furnishings at very low prices. Its 200 stores are typically in urban, isolated areas, and target young homeowners.

JET BLUE AIRLINE

The revolutionary airline brought style to a low-cost market, offering spacious leather seats equipped with 36 channels of live satellite TV, while most of its competitors crumbled. Launched by David Neeleman, Jet Blue serves 30 Caribbean and US destinations. Its success is based on combining innovative, high-quality service with low fares.

JONES SODA SOFT DRINKS

The Canadian drinks company was launched in 1996. It has an irreverent approach, combining unique flavours, such as top-seller turkey and gravy soda, with distribution through flame-emblazoned coolers, located in skate shops and tattoo parlours. The firm also embraced technology, enabling consumers to upload personal photos at myjones.com, which were then used on labels. Jones Soda has a cult following and is soon to hit the UK.

PANERA BREAD FMCG

Panera, a bread-shop chain founded in St Louis, has driven a US obsession for speciality breads. It has 700 bakery-cafes in 25 US states, with the country's highest level of retail brand loyalty. Its bakeries specialise in all natural ingredients, showcasing the craft of breadmaking and sitting at the centre of the community. Since 1999, its share price has grown 13-fold.

SKY BROADCASTING

With more than 17m viewers in 7m UK households, Sky offers an unprecedented choice of movies, news, entertainment and sport channels. It has enticed terrestrial viewers by signing up the content most in demand and charging a premium for it. Sky now reaches 30% of homes and has shifted its focus from land-grab to profitable delivery.

SONY ELECTRONICS

Sony has achieved success through steady, organic growth, with a devotion to technological innovation and an ability to shrug off defeats. Its many successes, from the Walkman to PlayStation, have been accompanied by failures such as defeat in the battle for video and DVD format supremacy.

However, its focus on sleek, attractive design wins over customers, often at a 20%-30% price premium.

ZARA CLOTHING

In 1963, Amancio Ortega set up a lingerie business, producing low-priced versions of upmarket fashion. He pursued his vision to create a global fashion phenomenon, translating styles from the catwalk and the street faster than anyone else. With stores in 50 countries, Zara positions its brand differently by market: in Spain it sits at the lower end; in the US at the luxury end.

'Marketing Genius' by Peter Fisk will be published this spring by Wiley Capstone. For more information, visit www.marketinggeniuslive.com. 'Marketing Genius' will be live on 8 February at Fabric nightclub in London. Tickets are available to Marketing readers at a special price of £60 on 020 7929 5559.