Douglas Atkin; The Culting of Brands: Turn Your Customers Into True Believers, Portfolio, Penguin, New York, 2004.
We all crave ‘meaning’ and ‘belonging’. Cult-like brands have become the new religion because they provide these two basic human needs.
People queue overnight to be the first into the new Apple temples, I mean, retail stores. Cult-like brands inspire extreme religious-like customer loyalty – and fanatical behaviour. Customers are no longer satisfied with mere product. They’re buying into an ideology with meaning, purpose and value; an identity with personality; and a community of like-minded, mutually interested souls. The two most important elements of a cult-like brand are the ideology and the interaction between your customers. Your ideology provides vision, meaning and desire. The contact with you and fellow customers builds a community. This provides meaning in a chaotic world and a place of belonging.
Start a cult today. Cult your brand and build a devoted following of loyal customers. Be different, take a stand and build a meaning engine and a community that lets your customers be more of themselves.
If you want to move from corporate insider to industry icon, then you need to…
Here's a brutal truth about knowledge monetization: 95% of experts with incredible knowledge make less…
How do you monetize your expertise and turn decades of experience into a legacy and…
Still waiting for the perfect time to start? That moment isn’t coming. If you’re ready…
You’ve been lied to. There’s a lie that’s everywhere — in your planner, your inbox, your…
If you’ve ever said, “I just need more time”, you’re not alone. Most of us…