Product Brand Recognition

I was thinking last night a little bit about product recognition, in regards to costomers recognising what company maked the product and I noticed something fairly obvious.

Almost all products are recognised by their brand, so you know that a pair of trainers is a pair of Nike trainers by the Niki tick down the side. We all recognise Sony products by the Sony logo stamped on the side, and Microsoft products by the Microsoft logo and that is a fact with almost every product in existence, but there is a product that excises that doesn't have a visible logo, and one that is recognised simply by it's design, and that is Dr Martens boots and shoeware. I have always worn them since I first wore a school uniform, simply because i didn't like any of the other styles, but when I walk in a room (for example) anybody looking at my boots will realise that they are Martens, yet there is no external logo anywhere on them. To me that is a very impressive thing, the kind of thing that probably every company in the world would pay millions to have, but they can't have it because their varying products won't allow for them to have such distinguishing design features that make a product like my boots recognisable.

I keep trying to think how a company could engineer something like that, but I honestly can't think of a way. I mean the PlayBoy bunnies are internationally recognised too, but I am not sure if it is something that could be engineered on purpose and then benefit the brand.