If someone asked me to define a cult brand, I wouldnât start with logos or marketing campaigns. Iâd start with people. At its core, a cult brand isnât just a company with loyal customers. Itâs a brand that people join. In our research (Why We Join), we...
Every industry has its âsafe bets.â The products and services that succeed by being reliable, consistent, and available. Theyâre the brands people donât mind switching out for a cheaper alternative at the grocery store or at the car rental counter. But then there are the other...
If your brand disappeared tomorrow, would anyone really miss it? Thatâs the uncomfortable question most companies avoid. And yet, itâs the line that separates ordinary brands from Cult Brands. In The Cult Branding Workbook, we make a critical distinction: most products succeed by being reliable, accessible, and...
For years, marketers chased leads as if more always meant better. But hereâs the uncomfortable truth: more leads often equals less profit. Why? Because chasing volume usually drives costs up faster than revenues. At some point, you cross the break-even line. After that, every new lead...
I canât think of a more special breed of people than creatives. Every time a creative pitches a bold campaign, challenges the status quo, or takes a big risk, theyâre standing exposed in front of thousands of consumers, peers, shareholders, and competitors. And yet, they keep doing...
If you can model a principle, test it against history, and refine it, youâve just taken your decision-making to another level. Suddenly, emotion stops hijacking the process. Bias gets sidelined. You get clarity. Thatâs the beauty of algorithms. Theyâre nothing more than precise instructions, like words,...
Your marketing can promise the moon, but if your people canât deliver it, the brand breaks. Every CEO Iâve worked with who built a cult brand started by aligning culture with the brand promise. Salesforceâs Dreamforce is a masterclass; even the volunteers feel like part of...
If youâre in the CEO chair, youâre carrying two brands at once: your corporate brand and your personal one. And theyâre inseparable. What you say, post, or endorse can strengthen trust or shake it overnight. Cult Branding teaches us the principle of Openness, be intentional and...
The customer doesnât care about your org chart. They donât separate the âmarketing experienceâ from the âoperations experience.â Itâs all the brand experience. The most effective CEOs I know break down turf wars and get the C-suite aligned around a single narrative. Hereâs how: Create a Brand Council....
AI is everywhere in the CEO conversation. The mistake I see? Treating AI like a cost-cutting tool rather than a connection-deepening tool. The cult brands donât bolt technology onto an old culture; they integrate it to make the customer feel known and valued. Top brands used...