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.
One of the quietest problems experienced professionals run into is this: Their job title stops…
One of the most common worries I hear from experienced professionals is this: My experience…
Most smart professionals don’t need a new career. They need a name for the value…
If you have 20 or 30 years of experience and you still can’t explain what you…
Everyone tells you to think in 90-day plans… Sprints. Hacks. Quick wins. But here’s the…
Apple didn’t just build products. They built a movement. And it all started with a…