All Posts By

Salim Bueno

The Loyalty Multiplier: Why Openness Builds Unshakable Brands

Most companies chase the “ideal customer.” They build entire campaigns around demographic precision, age ranges, income brackets, and buyer personas. But Cult Brands do the opposite.

They don’t narrow their audience.
They open their arms.

The Cult Branding Rule of Openness is simple: Cult Brands are radically inclusive. They don’t build walls. They build invitations.

Openness Isn’t Just Nice, It’s Strategic

According to the Cult Branding Workbook, “Cult Brands don’t discriminate. They openly embrace anyone who is interested in their companies.”

This isn’t about political correctness or inclusivity for its own sake. It’s about understanding a deeper truth: people don’t want to feel like customers—they want to feel like they belong.

Openness taps into three of Maslow’s most powerful human needs:

  • Belonging
  • Self-esteem
  • Self-actualization

When brands meet those needs, they move from being a product in someone’s cart to a part of someone’s identity.

Let’s take a look at two brands that embody this.

Costco: One Price. One Club. Everyone’s Welcome.

Costco doesn’t care what you drive, where you live, or what your job title is. The warehouse is the great equalizer.

You pay your annual fee, and you’re in. You push the same oversized cart, stand in the same sample lines, and get the same deal on 48 rolls of toilet paper as the guy in front of you. Whether you’re a retiree, a single parent, or a tech CEO, the experience is shared—and that’s the point.

By removing barriers and leveling the playing field, Costco fosters a culture of value, trust, and belonging. Their membership isn’t exclusive; it’s inclusive. And that’s why people renew year after year without a second thought.

The Savannah Bananas: If You Show Up, You’re Part of the Show

The Savannah Bananas are a baseball team, but calling them that barely scratches the surface. They’ve turned the sport into a joyful, rule-breaking circus. And what makes it work? Radical openness.

Banana Ball isn’t just for sports fans. It’s for kids, parents, comedy lovers, tourists, and anyone who wants to have a good time. You don’t need to know the rules. You don’t even need to like baseball. If you’re in the stadium, you’re part of the experience.

From dancing players to mic’d-up umpires to fans dictating rules mid-game, the Bananas tear down every wall between performer and spectator. They’ve reimagined baseball by asking one simple question: How do we make everyone feel included?

And it’s working. Every game sells out. Every crowd cheers louder. And fans don’t just leave with memories, they leave feeling like insiders.

Openness Wins Where Precision Fails

Exclusive branding may feel sophisticated, but it often alienates the very people who could become your most passionate advocates.

Openness expands your surface area for loyalty. It allows unexpected fans to step forward. It builds emotional equity by giving people a place where they feel seen.

Here’s the irony: the more open you are, the more cult-like your following becomes. Because people don’t tattoo exclusivity. They tattoo belonging.

For Brand Leaders: Questions to Ask This Week

  • Are we unknowingly excluding people through our language, imagery, or tone?
  • Where can we lower the barrier to entry without diluting the experience?
  • How can we build rituals or experiences that make new customers feel like insiders from Day One?

The Cult Branding Rule of Openness isn’t about appealing to everyone. It’s about welcoming anyone who feels the pull.

Let them in, and they just might never leave.

August 10, 2025 by

Great Leadership Starts With Clarity of Purpose

In Cult Brands, leadership isn’t just about strategy, operations, or profit.

It’s about creating clarity, especially when it comes to the customer.

As the Cult Branding Workbook puts it:

“Each team member must clearly understand how he or she contributes to the customer’s experience.”

This one sentence captures what most organizations miss:

Great brands aren’t built by marketing. They’re built by people who know why they matter.

The Invisible Work That Shapes Loyalty

It’s easy to focus on the flashy aspects, such as campaigns, launches, and events. But your customer’s experience is shaped by countless unseen moments:

  • A cashier who remembers your name
  • A bakery associate offering a cookie to a shy child
  • A bagger walking you to your car in the rain

Those moments don’t belong to the CMO. They belong to the entire team.

Leadership That Connects the Dots

Great leadership means helping every employee connect their daily work to the customer’s emotional journey.

It means:

  • Sharing the Brand Lover’s mindset, not just performance metrics
  • Making the purpose of the brand part of onboarding, meetings, and recognition
  • Turning core values into decisions, not just posters

At Publix, every associate, from the deli counter to the loading dock, understands they’re part of something bigger. “Where shopping is a pleasure” isn’t a slogan; it’s a shared mission. Leadership reinforces this not through speeches, but through systems that train, trust, and reward customer-focused behavior.

Brands Customers Love Start With Teams That Care

If your team doesn’t feel connected to the customer, the customer won’t feel connected to the brand.

So the question isn’t “What does marketing need to do?”
It’s: “Does every person on our team know how they create brand love?”

If not, leadership still has work to do.

August 8, 2025 by

Where Are You Now? Why This Simple Question Drives Great Brands

In the rush to scale, innovate, and stay ahead, most CEOs focus on what’s next. But real growth doesn’t start with the future—it starts with the truth.

Where are you now?

This question is simple, but it’s often the most overlooked. And yet, it’s where we always begin when building Cult Brands.

It’s not just about your financials or your place on the org chart. It’s about how your customers see you, how your employees experience you, and how your culture is living your brand values today—not years ago.

The Four Truths of Brand Reality

To understand where you are now, you need to examine:

  1. Internal Culture
     Is your team aligned with your values, or just executing tasks?

  2. Customer Perception
     What do your best customers feel about your brand? What stories do they tell?

  3. Cultural Relevance
     Are you part of a meaningful conversation, or just another ad in the scroll?

  4. Market Positioning
     Do customers see you as a leader, a disruptor, or something they can live without?

These truths don’t come from dashboards alone. They come from conversations—with your people, your Brand Lovers, and your critics.

Why This Question Matters Now

We’ve seen brands launch impressive campaigns, only to realize they didn’t reflect who they really were, or what their customers cared about.

That’s what happens when a business skips this foundational step. You can’t tell a powerful story if you don’t know where it begins.

The Cost of Misalignment

Assuming you “already know” your brand reality is risky. Cultures drift. Customer needs evolve. And what worked five years ago may be irrelevant today.

Alignment isn’t a one-time check—it’s a habit. A great CEO asks, “Are we still who we say we are?” and listens hard to the answer.

Ask Yourself:

  • What story do our customers tell when they talk about us?

  • Would they miss us if we disappeared?

  • Are we building a brand that inspires loyalty—or just transactions?

  • Do we still matter in their lives?

  • Is our internal culture reinforcing or diluting our brand?

Where Growth Begins

Before you rebrand, expand, or launch something new—pause. Ask the question that can change everything:

Where are we now?

If the answer isn’t clear, that’s where the Cult Branding process begins.

Let’s uncover the truth—and build something your customers can’t live without.

July 29, 2025 by

GE’s Timeless Logo

Despite transforming from a maker of light bulbs and appliances into a modern leader in aerospace, healthcare, and energy, General Electric (GE) has held onto one powerful visual constant: its iconic logo.

The GE monogram—a flowing script “GE” encircled by decorative swirls—was first trademarked in 1900. Since then, while the company has diversified, the logo has barely changed. Aside from slight updates in color (notably shifting to a softer blue in 2004) and line thickness, the core design has remained intact.

That wasn’t an accident. It was a strategy.

Consistency as a Strategic Asset

The GE logo has long stood for innovation and reliability. A 1923 ad described it as “the initials of a friend.” By using the same mark across products ranging from light bulbs to jet engines, GE unified its offerings and built brand equity that crossed categories. Customers didn’t need to understand the product—they trusted the emblem.

This consistency worked as a unifying thread across a sprawling business. Instead of fragmenting its identity as it entered new markets, GE used its logo to say: “This is all part of one trusted story.”

In branding terms, the monogram became shorthand for quality, progress, and American ingenuity. The decision to retain it—even as GE recently split into three focused businesses (GE Aerospace, GE HealthCare, and GE Vernova)—reinforces the emotional and symbolic value baked into the brand over decades.

Why Cult Brands Stay Visually Steady

Cult Brands don’t chase change for change’s sake. They know that symbols matter—they offer meaning, stability, and recognition in a noisy world. Apple. Nike. These brands build emotional resonance by showing up the same way, again and again. Familiarity breeds trust.

GE’s logo may not inspire tattoos, but it does evoke confidence. Generations have grown up seeing it in their homes. That repetition has created a subtle but powerful emotional connection. The logo is more than a mark—it’s a memory.

Leadership Takeaway: Treat Your Logo Like an Asset

For CEOs, the GE story is a reminder that brand consistency is a leadership decision, not just a design one.

When you preserve your visual identity across time and transformation, you tell your team, your customers, and your market: “We know who we are.” That clarity builds trust and allows your brand to stretch into new territories without losing credibility.

If your logo still captures the soul of your brand, don’t redesign it—reinforce it. Evolution in business doesn’t require revolution in identity.

As GE shows, a strong logo can carry a company’s story across generations—without losing its voice.

July 27, 2025 by

It’s Not Just What You Say—It’s Where You Say It

Most brands see media strategy as logistics: channels, CPMs, impressions.
But the media isn’t just a delivery system—it’s a declaration.

Your media choices tell your customers who you are and what you value.

Every placement, every partnership, every format sends a message—whether you intend it or not.

And when the media misaligns with your brand’s soul, your message gets lost—or worse, mistrusted.

Media Is Message, Not Just Medium

It’s not just what you say. It’s where you say it.

Would you launch a campaign about inclusion and community by buying aggressive pop-up ads on a clickbait site? Probably not. But brands make subtle versions of this mistake all the time—showing up in places that don’t match their values, audience mindset, or intended tone.

When media placement doesn’t reflect your beliefs, your customers can feel it—even if they can’t quite articulate what’s off.

A Hypothetical Misstep: What If Walmart Got It Wrong?

To see how this plays out, let’s imagine a version of a real campaign—but with the wrong media strategy.

Earlier this year, Walmart partnered with Megan Thee Stallion to launch her Hot Girl Summer swimwear collection—designed to empower women of all shapes and sizes with bold, inclusive style.

Now imagine if Walmart had launched that line with print ads in outdated Sunday circulars, or low-res banner ads on discount coupon sites.

Technically, they’d reach people. But emotionally? They’d miss the moment.

That kind of media would clash with the spirit of the campaign. It would strip away the cultural relevance and energy of Megan’s brand. It would send a message that says, “We’re checking a box,” not “We get it.”

What They Did Instead: Soul-Aligned Media Strategy

Walmart got it right—because they knew it wasn’t just about the product. It was about the placement, the partnership, and the platforms.

The Hot Girl Summer swimwear line launched in 500+ Walmart stores, lived front-and-center on Walmart.com, and was promoted through native Reels on Instagram and TikTok—right where Megan Thee Stallion’s audience spends their time, shares culture, and drives trends. The campaign even took center stage at Miami Swim Week, making a bold statement in a space that celebrates confidence and style.

At the heart of this cultural moment was Marcus Moore, one half of Contenders award-winning Executive Creative Director duo, who led the creative direction for the campaign. Marcus brought bold vision and nuanced insight, ensuring that the message didn’t just show up—it showed up right. His approach blended authenticity, empowerment, and cultural fluency, giving the campaign the emotional depth and relevance it needed to resonate.

Also part of the powerhouse team at Contender is DeChazier Pykel, Executive Creative Director, whose creative leadership continues to set the standard for culturally driven campaigns.

🌟 See why DeChazier is one of the top creative voices shaping culture-first branding.
👉 Watch his reel here

This wasn’t just smart advertising. It was emotionally intelligent brand building.

The result? A campaign that felt organic, empowering, and exactly where it needed to be.

Because when media aligns with message—and message aligns with meaning—you get more than impressions.
You get impact.

Ask Yourself: What Is Your Media Strategy Saying About You?

  • Are you showing up where your customers feel seen?
  • Are you choosing placements that reflect what you believe?
  • Are you using the media to invite, or to interrupt?

Every media decision tells a story about your brand.

If you’re not intentional, your placements may be saying more than your message.

Media is memory. Make sure the memories you create match the meaning you intend.

Ready to Align Your Media with Your Message?

If your brand is ready to stop just reaching people—and start resonating with them—we’re here to help.

Let’s talk about how to make your media strategy a true reflection of your brand’s purpose.

July 9, 2025 by

How to Create Brand Evangelists

Every brand wants loyal customers. But loyalty alone isn’t enough to spark real growth. The brands that thrive—the ones that become movements—do something more: they create evangelists. These are the customers who don’t just buy—they believe. They advocate. They bring others along for the ride.

How do you turn everyday customers into passionate brand evangelists? It doesn’t happen by accident. It starts with intention.

Here’s how to build the kind of brand people can’t stop talking about:

1. Know Your Brand Lovers

Identify the customers who light up when they engage with your brand. Learn what makes them tick.

2. Build Around Their Values

Align your actions and messaging with what matters to them. Show them you understand who they are.

3. Empower Their Voice

Give loyal fans platforms to share their stories. Celebrate them, not just your products.

4. Create Rituals, Not Just Offers

Loyalty isn’t built on points. It’s built on moments that feel meaningful and repeatable.

5. Lead with Empathy, Not Algorithms

Data helps scale. But empathy creates connection. Your team’s genuine care is your brand’s greatest asset.

Every anonymous customer is a potential evangelist—but only if you treat them like more than a number.

Are you building a brand people want to talk about?

Or one they barely remember?

Let’s talk: If your brand is ready to move beyond transactions and build a tribe of loyal followers, we can help you get there.

July 6, 2025 by

From Anonymous to Iconic: How to Turn Customers into Brand Evangelists

Most brands spend millions chasing loyalty. But the deepest form of loyalty—evangelism—isn’t bought. It’s earned.

Cult Brands don’t just attract customers. They create believers. These brands build emotional bonds so strong that customers don’t just return—they recruit others, defend the brand, and incorporate it into their identity.

A Story Worth Believing In: Mr. Steve and Chick-fil-A

Take Chick-fil-A.

For over two decades, Stephen Bellissimo—affectionately known as “Mr. Steve”—visited the Oldsmar, Florida, location every morning. He sat at the same booth, enjoyed breakfast, and chatted with the team. What began as routine became ritual.

But what made it special wasn’t just the repetition—it was the way the Chick-fil-A staff treated him. They didn’t just know his name or his order. They knew him. They asked about his day. They checked in on him when he missed a morning. They celebrated his milestones. They made him feel seen and valued—not as a customer, but as part of their family.

When Mr. Steve turned 100, the restaurant threw him a surprise party and gifted him free Chick-fil-A for life. During COVID, they adapted the celebration to his driveway, ensuring he still felt the love. On his 104th birthday, they welcomed him back and placed a permanent plaque on his favorite booth.

Mr. Steve’s story isn’t just heartwarming—it’s instructional. It shows how consistent, personalized care can transform a customer from anonymous to iconic.

July 4, 2025 by

From Streaming to Belonging

Spotify does something many brands struggle with: it makes billions of users feel like it’s made just for them. From personalized playlists to culture-savvy campaigns, Spotify turns creativity into a competitive advantage—and it keeps customers coming back.

The key? Strategic storytelling that builds an emotional connection. It’s not just content. It’s context, culture, and community.

Personalization with Purpose

Every December, Spotify Wrapped gives users a look back at their year in music. It’s playful, often funny, and always personal. But more importantly, it tells a story—the listener’s story.

That’s what makes it effective. Spotify isn’t talking about itself. It’s holding up a mirror to its customers and making them the main character. This approach helps customers feel like they belong to something meaningful.

Messaging That Moves With Culture

Spotify’s marketing teams are tuned into culture. Whether it’s a cheeky subway ad or a data-driven social campaign, their messaging is timely, human, and often self-aware.

That relevance drives what we refer to as Cultural Resonance. Spotify doesn’t just follow trends; it reflects the way people actually use the product, and it does it with creativity that feels honest and earned—not forced.

Turning Listeners into Loyalists

Spotify builds community around taste. Fans don’t just follow artists—they follow each other. Through collaborative playlists, artist-curated content, and social sharing, users feel like part of something bigger.

This is Tribal Connection—one of the most powerful ways to turn customers into advocates. When people see their values and interests reflected in your brand, they’re more likely to stay engaged and spread the word.

What Business Leaders Should Take Away

Spotify shows that creativity—done well—isn’t fluff. It’s function. Personalization, cultural fluency, and emotional storytelling help the brand stand out in a crowded market and stay top of mind.

The neuroscience backs this up: storytelling activates brain chemicals like oxytocin and dopamine that drive trust, attention, and memory. That’s not just marketing—it’s smart strategy.

At Cult Branding, we’ve built the Cult Creative framework to help companies unlock this kind of resonance. It’s designed to help you define your core narrative, tap into cultural movements, and foster loyal brand communities.

If you’re looking to elevate your brand’s creative strategy, we’d love to share our latest thinking.

👉 Request access to the Cult Creative white paper

June 15, 2025 by

Customer Experience Isn’t Just a Department—It’s Your Whole Company

“Customer service shouldn’t just be a department, it should be the entire company.” — Tony Hsieh, Founder of Zappos

Too often, companies isolate customer experience (CX) within a single department, treating it as a support function rather than a fundamental business philosophy. But exceptional customer experience doesn’t start or end at the customer service desk—it permeates every corner of your organization.

Why CX Must Be Company-Wide

Customer experience is the sum total of all interactions a customer has with your brand. From marketing and sales to operations and finance, every team contributes to that collective impression.

When CX is viewed as the responsibility of a single department, gaps and inconsistencies inevitably emerge. A truly customer-centric brand understands that customer experience is everyone’s job.

Company-Wide CX in Action

Zappos: Known for legendary customer service, Zappos doesn’t delegate CX to just one team. Every employee, regardless of their role, undergoes extensive customer service training, emphasizing empathy, responsiveness, and empowerment. This holistic approach ensures consistency, authenticity, and exceptional interactions. Employees are encouraged to create memorable moments for customers, fostering genuine relationships that drive loyalty and advocacy.

Disney: Disney views every employee as a critical customer interaction point. From cast members greeting guests at the park entrances to maintenance teams ensuring immaculate environments, everyone is trained meticulously to uphold the brand’s commitment to magical experiences. Disney’s strong culture of storytelling and attention to detail means each employee understands their role in creating seamless, memorable experiences. This deep, company-wide commitment turns routine interactions into extraordinary moments, reinforcing the Disney brand as synonymous with exceptional customer experiences.

Integrating CX Across Your Organization

To embed customer experience company-wide, consider these practical strategies:

  1. Create a Unified Vision: Clearly communicate your customer experience goals across all teams. Everyone should understand how their role directly impacts customer satisfaction.
  2. Encourage Cross-Departmental Collaboration: Break down silos. Foster collaboration through regular cross-team meetings and shared CX objectives.
  3. Train Beyond Customer Service: Invest in comprehensive CX training for all employees, emphasizing empathy, responsiveness, and problem-solving skills.
  4. Measure and Reward CX Contributions: Implement metrics that assess CX across departments, and reward teams for meeting or exceeding customer satisfaction targets.

The Impact of a Unified Customer Experience

When customer experience becomes everyone’s priority, the results are profound:

  • Increased Customer Loyalty: Consistent, positive interactions build long-term customer relationships.
  • Higher Revenue: Customers who enjoy excellent CX spend more and become brand advocates.
  • Operational Efficiency: Cross-functional collaboration and clear CX goals streamline processes and reduce friction.

Make CX Your Competitive Advantage

Exceptional customer experience doesn’t happen by accident—it’s strategically nurtured through every level of your organization.

Stop thinking of CX as merely a department. Make it your company-wide philosophy, and watch your customers reward you with loyalty, growth, and advocacy.

June 13, 2025 by

How Inconsistency Undermines Your Brand’s Value

The Hidden Cost of Ignoring Brand Consistency

“Your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room.” — Jeff Bezos

While most executives understand the importance of branding, there’s an often-overlooked aspect that quietly erodes profits, customer loyalty, and competitive advantage: brand inconsistency.

Why Brand Consistency Matters

Consistency is foundational to creating a reliable and recognizable brand. Customers crave certainty. They want to know what to expect every time they engage with your brand. When this expectation is met consistently, trust deepens. Conversely, inconsistency breeds confusion, skepticism, and ultimately, churn.

The Real Cost of Inconsistency

The cost of brand inconsistency isn’t always immediately obvious, but it accumulates in tangible ways:

  • Lost Revenue: According to Lucidpress, consistent brand presentation increases revenue by up to 33%. When your brand appears differently across channels or platforms, potential customers doubt the authenticity and credibility, prompting them to look elsewhere.
  • Higher Marketing Costs: When your brand lacks consistency, every marketing effort must start from scratch. You lose the cumulative effect of past messaging, requiring additional spending to achieve the same results.
  • Damaged Reputation: Inconsistent brands often appear disorganized or unprofessional. This perceived instability can diminish customer confidence, reduce referrals, and weaken market positioning.

When Brand Consistency Breaks: Lessons from Expensive Missteps

Gap’s Logo Misfire: In 2010, Gap introduced a redesigned logo in an attempt to modernize its brand—only to withdraw it six days later after intense public criticism. The abrupt change clashed with decades of established brand identity, signaling a disconnect with loyal customers and eroding trust virtually overnight.

Tropicana’s Packaging Mistake: In 2009, Tropicana learned a hard lesson when a radical redesign of its packaging led to a 20% drop in sales. The new look stripped away familiar visual cues, leaving loyal buyers confused at the shelf—and proving how even small changes in presentation can carry a steep price when brand recognition is compromised.

Practical Steps to Maintain Brand Consistency

  1. Establish Clear Brand Guidelines: Detail your visual identity, voice, tone, messaging frameworks, and usage scenarios.
  2. Educate Your Team: Ensure everyone understands your brand standards. Consistency is everyone’s responsibility, from marketing to customer support.
  3. Centralize Assets: Maintain a single source of truth for all branding materials. This ensures easy access and consistent application across all channels.
  4. Monitor and Measure: Regularly audit brand interactions across all platforms. Identify inconsistencies quickly and adjust accordingly.

Brand Consistency: A Strategic Advantage

In a competitive landscape, brand consistency isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s a strategic imperative. It amplifies marketing effectiveness, fortifies customer trust, and drives sustained growth.

Consistency isn’t glamorous, but it’s profitable. Ignore it, and you risk quietly bleeding away your market share, reputation, and customer loyalty.

Make brand consistency your competitive advantage.📩 Want to ensure your brand is consistently positioned for success? Connect with us today at www.cultbranding.com.

June 10, 2025 by