Like a contest, terrorist groups like the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Boko Haram, Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, seem to be competing against each other. It seems like we are in an age where even terrorists are in a race for notoriety; for some kind of “celebrity status” that they can only obtain by expanding their influence with territorial gains, high numbers of supporters, and by committing bloodier terrorist acts as they go.

Unlike other less notorious terrorist groups, organizations like ISIL have taken very seriously the task of reinventing and differentiating themselves from the rest. Like a marketing strategy, this organization has made sure to become a recognized global brand. The Islamic State has a brand, marketing strategy, purpose and vast economic resources to carry out its plans. At every checkpoint and area under their control, ISIL has made it clear to put their flags up…