Before a Jimmy Buffett concert, the parking lot could feel like a destination of its own. Fans arrived in Hawaiian shirts and shark fin hats. They met friends, shared food, and began the party hours before Buffett took the stage. They called themselves Parrot Heads. They...
What is a Cult Brand? That’s a question we’ve explored for more than two decades. Through our research and work with leadership teams, certain qualities keep showing up: the courage to challenge conventions, a clear sense of purpose, and a deep understanding of the people a...
Our Cult Brand Report 2026 brings together research, seven brand examples, and practical tools to help you strengthen customer loyalty and make better growth decisions. Inside, you will learn...
When I wrote The Power of Cult Branding with Matt Ragas, Ph.D., now Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in DePaul University's College of Communication, we were trying to understand a remarkable kind of loyalty. Why would people gather around a brand, make it part...
For years, I’ve written here about our need to feel seen, understood, and connected. Lately, I’ve been thinking about another need that is easy to overlook: the chance to pause. So many of us are good at showing up for work, family, and the people who...
“Our customers only care about price.” Imagine that sentence ending a discussion about improving the customer experience. The team closes the presentation, approves another promotion, and moves on. Months later, customers are still waiting for discounts. Leadership looks at the numbers and says, “See? We know our customers.” But...
The customer research is detailed. Your team has an idea worth testing. Then someone asks the question that brings the meeting to a halt: “Who else is doing this?” Sometimes, that question helps you learn. Sometimes, it quietly kills the opportunity to become the company everyone else...
We are spending extraordinary amounts of money on artificial intelligence. Nvidia's latest quarter makes that difficult to ignore. The company reported $96.2 billion in quarterly revenue, up 106% year over year. Its Data Center business alone generated $89 billion, up 117%. And the investment isn't slowing down. Nvidia...
“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” — Stephen R. Covey There’s a big difference between hearing your customers and actually listening to them. Hearing tells you what they said. Listening helps you understand what they’re really trying to...
A popular story online claims that when wolves travel, the strongest wolf walks at the back, quietly protecting the pack. It is a wonderful leadership lesson. It is also apparently not how wolves actually work. Real wolf packs are less like corporate hierarchies and more like families. The...