đ Hey friends, itâs BJ Bueno here. First offâwelcome to all the new readers joining our Cult Branding community! Iâm really glad youâre here. Every once in a while, I like to take it back to where this whole journey started for me: my first book,...
Hi thereâitâs me, BJ Bueno đ If youâre new hereâwelcome! Weâve had a lot of new subscribers recently, and I just wanted to take a moment to say hello and introduce myself. Iâm the founder of The Cult Branding Company and the author of a few books...
At Cult Branding, we donât chase trendsâwe decode human behavior. We seek out how people really connect with brandsâhow they form communities, foster shared identity, and create meaning. So when Google used AI to analyze over 4,700 of YouTubeâs top-performing ads, I paid close attention. Their...
This past June, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan stood onstage at Cannes Lions and reminded us that a revolution in storytelling has already happenedâweâre living in it. And if you're a marketing leader, the implications are massive. âToday, YouTube is the epicenter of culture. Not forgettable fads,...
Over 25 years ago, I stepped away from the traditional agency world. Not because I didnât love the workâbut because I didnât love the model. I didnât want to build something that looked like every other agency. I wanted to build something with soul, and...
What if weâve misunderstood inspiration all along? What if inspiration isnât something we summon, but something that summons us? A Scientific Look at Inspiration Psychologists Todd Thrash and Andrew Elliot have studied inspiration in depth. They found it isnât randomâit follows a consistent psychological pattern composed of three...
Over a decade ago, we had the chance to work with Jeanie Buss during a crucial moment in Lakers history. Even then, it was obviousâJeanie wasnât just running a team. She was building something far deeper: a living legacy. Now, with the news of the Lakersâ...
In a world flooded with agencies promising everything under the sun, our approach is refreshingly different. We donât believe in one-size-fits-all solutions. We donât chase awards. And weâre not here to wow you with pitch decks filled with jargon. Instead, we do something radical: we listen. Deeply....
Hereâs a hard truth: Most successful brands sell dreamsânot reality. Thatâs not a cynical take. Itâs just how humans are wired. Airbnb doesnât show you the cramped basement apartment with a clunky lock and an awkward host. They show you the treetop retreat in the jungle or the...
In marketing, targeting is often hailed as the holy grail. With todayâs digital tools, we can zero in on precise audience segmentsâdown to job title, purchase intent, or even what someone had for lunch. Itâs no wonder that many marketers, especially those focused on performance,...