A brand can be leveraged six ways from Sunday. Witness UPS, which several years ago commissioned a customized version of the classic Monopoly board game.

The game board resembles the familiar Monopoly board, but with UPS-specific twists. For example, the spaces reserved for the four railroads in the traditional game are replaced by the four modes of transportation. Well-known Monopoly properties like Boardwalk, Marvin Gardens, and Atlantic Avenue are replaced by a UPS Store in the Atlanta suburb of Decatur, Ga.; the UPS Worldport air hub in Louisville, Ky.; and the carrier's Atlanta headquarters. Players who land on spaces asking them to select cards may be told to retreat three spaces for a late delivery, receive a $50 dividend for a UPS stock split, or collect $20 for a refund of port charges.

UPS originally commissioned 2,000 copies of the game. However, the copies were mothballed after executives decided that the all-male delivery drivers shown on the board undermined the company's diversity efforts. Finally, the games were dusted off and sold internally for $10 each. The proceeds from the sales were donated to the United Way.