All Posts By
Salim Bueno
Business leaders instinctively know that customer loyalty is important, but many feel it is a fruitless endeavor to try to truly win the hearts and minds of their customers. Instead, the “merchant mind” takes over and the focus becomes on the next transaction instead of building a long-term relationship with your customer.
When executives first hear about the notion of building a Cult Brand, they often wonder, “Can we really do it? Can our brand achieve “cult” status? And if so, what would that look like?”
The answer, of course, is, “Yes, you can.” To see what a Cult Brand looks like, watch this brief video of an IKEA store grand opening.
How does IKEA do it?
Knowingly or not, they follow the Seven Rules of Cult Brands.
Learn why brand communities form and what you can do to support them:
The Cult Branding Company has been studying the unique qualities of Cult Brands for over ten years. The initial research introducing the concept of Cult Branding and profiling 9 magnetic brands including Apple, Oprah, and Harley-Davidson was published in The Power of Cult Branding (Random House) co-authored by BJ Bueno in 2002. The Cult Branding Company’s research team continues to study the factors behind true customer loyalty.
We don’t take this certification lightly. A panel of reviewers including Cult Brand expert BJ Bueno evaluate each potential brand, analyzing it from the perspective of the Seven Rules of Cult Brands.
Do you think you know a brand that qualifies for Cult Brand status?
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In an April 18, 2007 post on our virtual office, I predicted that Google would unveil an operating system (OS) accessible from anywhere. Although not exactly what I had envisioned, I was excited when, in November 2007, Google announced the Android OS.
Android is the product of the Open Handset Alliance (OHA), which consists of thirty-four technology companies. Android is built on Linux and is the first open-source mobile OS. It is highly customizable, allowing mobile phone companies and developers to customize the software to provide the best experience for the user. It’s like having a suit—the OS—tailored to the person—the mobile phone—rather than expecting one suit to fit the body of ever person—the traditional approach of mobile operating systems, like Windows Mobile.
The HTC Dream, the first Android-equipped phone, is set to be released through T-Mobile in October, with presales for existing customers beginning on September 17. Like every major release, Android-equipped phones were initially dubbed possible iPhone killers. But, some recent industry reports have started to look less favorably on Android’s potential.
Android is going to be anything but a surefire hit. The leaked pictures of the HTC Dream make it clear that at least the first phone is going to live or die by the functionality of the Android OS.
Android’s greatest asset is also going to be its greatest liability: companies will have to customize Android for each phone. In effect, the viability of the product is going to depend on how well the phone integrates with the OS, and vice versa. And this is ultimately out of Google’s hands in the hands of the carriers and mobile developers that are part of the OHA.
It will probably take awhile before a company releases a phone incorporating the Android software that will stack up well against the functionality of the iPhone. This says more about the mobile companies’ abilities to create an integrated user-friendly design than the viability of Android.
And, turning Android and the phone into a match made in heaven is going to be a problem amplified by many of the OHA members also being members of the Symbian Foundation—another open-source mobile platform in the works. This could lead to the same companies attempting to design phones using competing open source mobile platforms that require their operating systems to be tailored to the needs of each phone. It sounds like a huge potential headache that could compete for resources.
The best use of Android won’t be an attempt to make an iPhone killer; the best use won’t even compete for the same market—the all-in-one, portable, multimedia device. It’s best use will be to embrace the power of customization and allow mobile devices to be fully tailored to an individual’s needs. If Android is successful, this will probably result in mobile phone devices aimed at specific functional requirements, which will then be able to be customized further according to a certain business’s or individual’s needs. Phones will be able to be tailored to the individual on a mass scale at an affordable price. Perhaps Android will take on the Long Tail of the mobile industry, enabling niche phones.
Beyond the mobile-handset market, Android may, if Google has anything to say about it, play a major role in bringing mobile marketing to life. How mobile marketing will pan out is anyone’s guess, with the $1 billion question being how to not annoy the user. If open source is leading the way, I wouldn’t be surprised if we eventually see phones and possibly even monthly contracts subsidized by advertisers. And that may go a long way to lowering the annoyance factor.
The future of Android is uncertain. I don’t plan on trading my iPhone in for a GPhone anytime soon, but I can’t wait to see what Android holds for the future of the mobile market.
Where to go from here
Cult Branding 2.0
What are archetypes? And why are they important to branding building? Watch our latest slideshow presentation to learn how to create authentic customer loyalty and develop a powerful brand that customers can’t live without.
Archetypal Branding: Cult Branding 2.0
View more presentations from Cult Branding
Good Gossip by Robert F. Goodman and Aaron Ben–Ze’ev
Blog! How the Newest Media Revolution Is Changing Politics, Business, and Culture by David Kline and Dan Burstein
Grooming, Gossip, and the Evolution of Language by Robin Dunbar
The Language Instinct by Stephen Pinker
The Virtual Community: Homesteading on the Electronic Frontier by Howard Rheingold
Growing Up Digital: The Rise of the Net Generation by Don Tapscott
Six Degrees: the science of a connected age by Duncan J. Watts
Related Links
by Lev Grossman
Article from Time on the popularity of blogs.
by Kevin Kelly
Wired article on the increase of individual power on the Internet.
“The law of acceleration returns”
by Ray Kurzweil
by The Neistat brothers’
The Neistat brothers’ popular video on the iPod battery.
by Robin Westen
Psychology Today article on the benefits and purpose of gossiping.
by Daniel H. Pink
Wired article on Wikipedia.
“Ubiquitous message technology can be powerful tool for good or ill”
Technology Review article on text messaging.
“New Zealand students may ‘text-speak’ in exams”
Report on national exams in New Zealand allowing text message abbreviations.
Internet User Statistics
Blog search engine.
Wikipedia encylopedia.
Wikipedia overview of Second Life.
“Educators explore ‘Second Life’ online”
Second Life community as an educational tool.
How 9 Magnetic Brands Turned Customers Into Loyal Followers (and Yours Can, Too!)
(Random House 2002)
>>Like religious cults that attract thousands of devoted disciples, is it possible for company brands to build legions of loyal followers?
>>Can certain products with the right combination of positioning and branding take on magnetic characteristics and galvanize die-hard customers who become walking, talking viral marketers? It’s a marketer’s dream come true!
>>Can your company harness the power of Cult Branding without blowing a fortune on advertising?
According to authors Matthew W. Ragas and Bolivar J. Bueno, the answer is “Yes.” In fact, you need not look much further than a Harley-Davidson rally, a Star Trek convention, or a Jimmy Buffett concert to see the Cult Branding phenomenon at work: thousands of passionate, faithful fans spreading the good word and spending lots of money.Not all brands have the dash of edginess, the devoted fan base, or the niche positioning to manifest Cult Brands. But those that do tend to share similar characteristics, the Seven Golden Rules of Cult Branding, that make them successful.Through meticulous research and scores of interviews, Ragas and Bueno have uncovered the remarkable, untold stories behind nine very successful Cult Brands:
These nine brands follow the Seven Golden Rules and have millions of fans and billions of dollars in revenue to show for it. Now, you can learn first hand what these special brands did to set themselves apart and how to apply the Seven Golden Rules to your own marketing strategies.Written for advertisers, marketers, sales executives, and business owners who want to thrive in an increasingly competitive marketplace, The Power of Cult Branding is the ultimate guide to creating a loyal core of repeat customers and winning the positioning battle.
Praise for the Power of Cult Branding
“Who wants a cult brand? After reading The Power of Cult Branding, you are going to want to create one as soon as possible. The logic, the strategies, and the tactics are spelled out for you in comprehensive detail.”
—Al Ries, author of The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding and chairman, Ries & Ries Inc.
“Ragas and Bueno have not only demystified branding in their brilliant book but also revealed the heart of how to do it with aplomb. And, at the same time, it’s fun to read.”
—Jay Conrad Levinson, author of the Guerrilla Marketing series
“Cult brands, while not easy to create, are among the most powerful. This book will show the way.”
—Jack Trout, coauthor of Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind and president, Trout & Partners Ltd.
“The most insightful look at brand positioning since The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing.”
—Roy H. Williams, author of The Wizard of Ads series