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Inspiration

Why Creative Risk is the Lifeblood of Brand Building

I can’t 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, they’re standing exposed in front of thousands of consumers, peers, shareholders, and competitors.

And yet, they keep doing it.

Thank goodness.

Because if there’s one thing we all know, it’s this: playing it safe is the fastest route to irrelevance.

In The Cult Branding Workbook, I call this the Golden Rule of Courage: cult brands are built by leaders and creatives who dare to be different, even when the world is skeptical. Liquid Death turned canned water into a counterculture icon. Glossier reimagined beauty by handing the microphone to its community. Supreme built a global following by embracing scarcity and audacity. None of them played it safe.

That knot in your stomach before you launch something new?
That nagging voice asking, “Have we gone too far?”

Those aren’t warnings. They’re your creative compass pointing true north.

Sure, you could settle for cookie-cutter campaigns and beige messaging. But where’s the magic in that? The most meaningful breakthroughs in branding come from someone raising their hand and saying, “What if?” even when their voice shakes, even when the data isn’t crystal clear, even when failure is a real possibility.

The truth is simple: living small is not only boring, it’s a disservice to the brands we serve and the customers who trust us.

So let’s stop punishing creative risk. Let’s celebrate it. Because behind every brand that earns cult-like loyalty is a creative who dared to push further than the rest.

The question is: what risks will you take this week?

September 5, 2025 by

It’s All in the Recovery: Branding Lessons from Billy Joel

“I once asked a truly great chef how he got to be so good. He said, ‘It’s all in the recovery. How you correct your mistakes.’”
—Billy Joel, And So It Goes

There’s a quiet brilliance in that quote from Billy Joel’s new documentary. It’s not about perfection, it’s about resilience. About owning the moment after the moment goes wrong. For great chefs, artists, and yes, great brands, what separates the average from the exceptional is how they respond when things don’t go as planned.

In the Cult Branding Workbook, we discuss the critical difference between brands people like and those they love. That difference often reveals itself in how a brand recovers, how it listens, how it adjusts, and how it honors the relationship with its most loyal customers.

Mistakes Are Human. Recovery Is Emotional

All brands make mistakes. A product flop. A tone-deaf campaign. A change that alienates your best customers. It’s easy to freeze, deflect, or overcorrect in those moments. But Cult Brands lean into the opportunity instead.

Why? Because recovery is one of the most intimate acts a brand can perform. It says, “We see you. We hear you. You matter.”

Netflix has misfired on pricing and programming decisions more than once, but the speed and clarity of its recovery often deepen loyalty. Apple has walked back design changes, not out of fear, but because listening to its core users is part of the brand’s DNA. These aren’t signs of weakness. They’re signals of trust.

The Cult Branding Rule of Contribution

In the Cult Branding framework, recovery aligns with the Golden Rule of Contribution: Cult Brands always give back. Owning a mistake and making it right is a powerful way of giving back to your Brand Lovers. It shows humility. It shows strength. And it builds something that can’t be bought: credibility.

Customers don’t expect perfection. But they remember how you made them feel when things went wrong.

Leadership in the Recovery Moment

As Billy Joel reminds us, recovery is a craft. It takes intention. It takes humility. And it takes leadership.

Ask yourself:

  • When something goes wrong in your customer experience, do you have a system for turning it into a deeper connection?
  • Is your internal team empowered to make things right in real-time?
  • Do you know what “recovery” looks like from your Brand Lover’s perspective?

True brand loyalty isn’t built in the launch moment. It’s built in recovery.

The Art of Being Human

Billy Joel’s story isn’t just a music story; it’s a human story. And Cult Branding is, at its core, a human-centered strategy. Your customers don’t need you to be flawless. They need you to be real. And when you fall short, they need to know you care enough to get it right.

That’s where loyalty lives. So the next time your brand faces a misstep, don’t panic. Recover well. Because, as Billy said, that’s where the magic is.

August 17, 2025 by

3 Strategies for When You Feel Life Has Lost Meaning

Reclaim the Inner Child
Play. Create. Touch the parts of you untouched by judgment. Life becomes dull when you abandon the one who still dreams. Pick up a brush, a journal, a guitar, anything that brings wonder back to your fingertips.

Confront the Shadow
Don’t look away. Turn inward. Face the parts of you you’d rather ignore. The sadness, the boredom, the anger. Invite them in. Let them speak. In the dark lies the key to meaning. You are not whole without your shadow.

Choose Becoming
You are not a fixed self. You are a process. Movement. Potential. Viktor Frankl said meaning is something we make, not something we find. So make it. Choose the next right thing. Help someone. Build something. Love fiercely.

Meaning isn’t given.

It’s forged.

In play. In shadow.

In becoming.

August 15, 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 Does Inspiration Really Come From? (And Why It Matters for Brand Builders)

What if we’ve misunderstood inspiration all along?

What if inspiration isn’t 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 isn’t random—it follows a consistent psychological pattern composed of three core attributes:

  • Evocation: Inspiration happens to us. It’s sparked by something outside ourselves—a conversation, an idea, a story. We don’t control when it comes, but we can prepare to receive it.
  • Transcendence: It elevates us beyond the routine. Inspired moments bring clarity, insight, and the ability to see what we couldn’t see before.
  • Approach Motivation: It compels action. Real inspiration doesn’t end with a feeling—it leads to a new behavior, a bold move, a creation brought into the world.

In other words: inspiration isn’t fluffy. It’s functional.

The Role of Inspiration in Cult Branding

If you’re building a brand designed to inspire loyalty beyond reason, inspiration is not optional—it’s essential.

Cult Brands are built on belief. They shift paradigms, challenge assumptions, and invite people into a more meaningful way of living or seeing the world. That kind of gravity doesn’t come from clever positioning. It comes from inspired leadership.

Here’s how to stay connected to that wellspring:

1. Study Role Models—But Don’t Worship Them

Look to visionary leaders and creators—not for replication, but revelation. Study what drives them. Understand the values they protect at all costs. Learn from their process, not just their results.

2. Reconnect to Your Why

Inspiration fades when our work loses meaning. Zoom out. Remember why your brand exists. Revisit the customers you serve. Reflect on the change you’re helping create. Purpose refuels inspiration.

3. Be the Inspiration Others Seek

Whether you’re mentoring a team, writing strategy, or building a culture, you are always modeling behavior. People learn by watching what you do, not what you say. Lead with clarity, courage, and curiosity.

4. Create Conditions for Inspiration to Strike

You can’t force inspiration—but you can invite it. Break routines. Get outside the industry echo chamber. Read art. Watch documentaries. Travel. Talk to your customers. Listen deeply. Stay curious.

5. Tell the Truth About the Struggle

Inspiration doesn’t only come from triumph. Some of the most magnetic brand stories emerge from vulnerability, setbacks, and resilience. Share the process—not just the polish.

Inspiration is not a lightning bolt—it’s a current. It’s the inner signal that tells us we’re connected to something larger than ourselves. That we’re doing work that matters.

As cult brand leaders, our job is to stay receptive.

Not because it’s trendy.

But because you can’t build the extraordinary from a place of ordinary.Want more insights on building cult-like loyalty and inspired brand communities? Learn more at www.cultbranding.com

June 29, 2025 by

Leading Like Jeanie Buss

Over a decade ago, we had the chance to work with Jeanie Buss during a crucial moment in Lakers history. Even then, it was obvious—Jeanie wasn’t just running a team. She was building something far deeper: a living legacy.

Now, with the news of the Lakers’ ownership transitioning for the first time since 1979, we’re pausing to reflect. Jeanie has always been more than a team owner—she’s a strategist, a protector of the brand, and a master at navigating change with heart and clarity.

Here are five lessons we’ve learned from watching Jeanie do what she does best—lessons every leader who’s serious about building a cult brand should take to heart:

1. Think Legacy, Not Just Season

When we worked with her, it was clear: Jeanie made decisions with the long game in mind. She treated the Lakers like a family member—someone you protect, invest in, and raise up with intention.

Takeaway: Cult brands don’t just play to win today. They’re built to last.

2. Winning Isn’t Enough—How You Win Matters

Jeanie believed in how the Lakers won. It wasn’t just about results—it was about doing it with flair, heart, and high standards. Her recent statement says it all: “Relentlessly, with passion and with style.”

Takeaway: Excellence is a mindset, not a milestone.

3. Work With People Who Get It

Even back then, Jeanie surrounded herself with people who understood the Lakers’ soul. That’s not easy. Her recent comments about Mark Walter show she still leads that way—values first, always.

Takeaway: You can’t build a cult brand with the wrong people. Values over résumés.

4. Protect the Emotional Connection

The Lakers aren’t just a basketball team. They’re part of people’s identity. Jeanie has always understood that. She respected the emotional investment of fans and led with that in mind.

Takeaway: The strongest brands live in people’s hearts. Treat that with care.

5. Change Happens. Do It With Grace.

Change is inevitable, but how you handle it says everything. Jeanie’s statement about the transition is a case study in elegance: honoring the past, embracing the future, and staying grounded in what matters.

Takeaway: Grace under pressure is a superpower.

Jeanie helped shape one of the most iconic sports brands in the world—and she did it with authenticity, smarts, and style. 

We were lucky to witness it up close.

So here’s to Jeanie Buss: a true original, and a blueprint for anyone who wants to build a brand that stands the test of time.

June 27, 2025 by

The $4 Trillion Blind Spot: Why Creative Quality Is Your Real ROI Problem

We’ve entered a marketing era obsessed with optimization.

Media teams are targeting down to the decimal. Audience segments are sliced to the molecule. Programmatic budgets are tweaked daily to squeeze out fractional gains in click-through rates and conversion metrics.

And yet, amid all this precision, we continue to overlook the most critical—and most wasteful—aspect of advertising.

The idea itself.

According to new research from Adam Sheridan (Ipsos) and Jones Knowles Ritchie, an astonishing 85% of advertising dollars are spent on assets that aren’t truly distinctive.

That’s nearly $4 trillion globally—spent on creative that fails to leave a mark.

Let’s pause there. 

In a world where marketers fight over budget and ROI, we’re funneling the vast majority of our investment into assets that people don’t remember, don’t recognize, and don’t associate with our brands.

How did we get here?

Recognition Is the First Principle of Branding

As Sheridan notes, we’ve become so focused on the bottom of the funnel—trying to extract an extra 0.01% conversion bump—that we’ve forgotten the first rule of brand building:

If people don’t know it’s you, it doesn’t matter what you said.

Recognition isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s the foundation. It’s what makes everything else—trust, preference, loyalty—possible. And yet, we continue to allocate massive budgets to media while underinvesting in the creative elements that actually drive memory.

Distinctiveness Is Difficult—But Not Mysterious

Let’s be honest: creating distinctive, ownable advertising is hard. You can’t always predict what will become iconic.

But we now have clear evidence of what increases your odds:

  • Ipsos found that high-performing creative uses a broader mix of brand assets 34% more often than low-performing ads.
  • Sound, fluent scenarios, recurring characters—these can generate up to 9x more branded attention than a logo alone.
  • The best ads aren’t just “branded” at the end—they feel like your brand from the very first second.

And yet, we’re still measuring logo placement and brand mentions as if that’s what creates recall. It’s not.

Creative Quality + Media Quality = Profitable Growth

Too often, creative and media are treated as separate silos. But they’re not. They’re co-dependent. The best media strategy in the world can’t rescue bland creative. And brilliant creative won’t perform in the wrong channels.

Real, sustainable brand growth happens when you pair distinctive creative with high-attention media.

Think radio. Think print. Think TV. These are the channels that drive memory, narrative, and emotion. They’re not just media buys—they’re brand-building engines when used with intention.

Time to Rebalance Our Attention—and Our Budgets

As marketers and brand leaders, we’ve spent the past decade mastering efficiency. Now it’s time to master meaning.

Because brand growth doesn’t come from better clicks, it comes from deeper connections. From storytelling. From memory. From being truly, unmistakably you—over and over again.

So the next time your team is reviewing media performance or creative strategy, ask a different question:

Will anyone remember this ad next week?
Will they remember it’s us?

If the answer is no, go back to the idea. That’s where the ROI really lives.

P.S. Want to see what bold creativity looks like in action (without sitting through another dull pitch deck)? Cult. Creative. is our latest live deck—packed with killer ideas, unforgettable ads. View it in Google Slides—no downloads, just instant inspiration. [Request access here.]

April 29, 2025 by

Use This Magic Trick to Defuse Tense Conversations

I’ve always been fascinated by magic. Working alongside some of the world’s top magicians, I’ve seen firsthand how a well-executed trick doesn’t just fool people—it changes their perspective. That’s what real magic is: not just deception, but expanding what someone believes is possible.

I still marvel at how my friend Kostya Kimlat fooled Penn & Teller on their show. But what impressed me even more wasn’t just that he fooled them—it was that he changed their understanding of what was possible. They weren’t just entertained; their perception of reality shifted.

Sometimes, as a leader, you have to be the magician. Instead of getting caught up in conflict, arguing, and devaluing yourself or others, you can shift the energy of a conversation—creating something unexpected and constructive.

Magicians don’t think in terms of problems; they think in terms of methods. If you want someone to believe a woman is floating, you use strong, invisible strings. If you want to turn a tense conversation into a productive one, you use a method that redirects emotion and resets the tone.

The technique I’m about to share takes practice. Like any good magic trick, it requires patience and refinement. But once you master it, you’ll have a powerful tool at your disposal. And, let’s be honest—not all problems need to be solved by getting mad and triggered (even though that’s a popular choice).

Here’s how to pull off this conversational magic trick.

Step 1: Pause and Take a Breath

When emotions escalate, the most instinctive reaction is to fire back. That’s exactly what you don’t want to do. The first step is to pause. Just a few seconds of silence can completely shift the energy in the room.

Magic moment: That brief silence makes the other person subconsciously lean in. It’s like a well-placed beat in a great magic trick—it builds anticipation and softens resistance.

Step 2: Label the Emotion

This is where the real misdirection happens. Instead of reacting emotionally, you name what’s happening at the moment:

  • “It sounds like you’re really frustrated.”
  • “I can tell this is important to you.”
  • “It seems like there’s a lot of concern around this.”

Why does this work? Because the brain processes labeled emotions differently. Instead of staying stuck in fight-or-flight mode, the brain shifts toward logical thinking. Suddenly, the other person feels understood, which makes them less defensive.

Magic moment: This is the equivalent of making a coin disappear right in front of someone’s eyes. Their anger starts to dissolve before they even realize what’s happening.

Step 3: Guide the Conversation Forward

Now that the tension has eased, you need to direct the energy somewhere productive. Ask a simple, forward-focused question:

  • “What’s the best outcome you’d like to see here?”
  • “What do you think would be a fair way to move forward?”
  • “How can we work together on this?”

By doing this, you redirect the conversation from frustration to problem-solving. And here’s the best part—when people feel like they’re part of the solution, they become more cooperative.

Magic moment: People rarely argue with their own ideas. When you invite them into the resolution process, they naturally lower their resistance.

Why This Trick Works Like Magic

This method works because it interrupts the expected pattern. Normally, when tension rises, people expect conflict to escalate. Instead, you create a moment of surprise, calm, and redirection. It’s a classic magician’s move—misdirect attention away from the conflict and toward a better outcome.

The best magicians don’t just trick people; they shift perspectives. As a leader, you can do the same. Not every problem needs to be solved through argument and frustration. Sometimes, a well-placed pause, a simple label, and a thoughtful question can transform a tense moment into a breakthrough. Next time you feel a conversation getting heated, don’t react—perform this trick instead. You might just turn frustration into progress, one well-timed move at a time.

March 21, 2025 by

Employee Loyalty in the Age of Attrition

In today’s workplace, retaining top talent is more challenging than ever. 

High turnover and the “Great Resignation” have left many companies scrambling to keep employees engaged. 

However, some brands—Google, Zappos, and Patagonia—have cracked the code on employee loyalty.

What’s their secret? 

They create cultures where people genuinely want to stay, feel valued, and take pride in their work. 

Their success comes down to three key strategies: 

mission-driven culture, hiring for fit, and employee-first policies. 

Here’s what leaders can learn from them.

A Mission and Culture Employees Believe In (Google)

Google has built a workplace where 98% of employees say they’re proud to work there. That’s not just because of perks like free gourmet food or wellness programs—those are just the icing on the cake. The real reason Googlers stay is purpose.

From the start, Google’s founders made it clear: employees are the company’s most valuable asset. They even wrote in their IPO letter: “Our employees…are everything. We will reward and treat them well.”

Beyond words, Google backs this up by investing in its people:

  • Employees feel connected to the company’s mission: “To organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible.”
  • Google’s culture prioritizes learning and growth, offering development programs and mentorship.
  • They use data-driven HR strategies to improve leadership and employee satisfaction.

CEO takeaway: Articulate a clear mission and create a work environment where people feel valued. When employees believe their work matters, they’re far less likely to leave for a slightly higher paycheck elsewhere

Hiring for Cultural Fit and Empowerment (Zappos)

Zappos built loyalty by obsessing over culture and happiness. CEO Tony Hsieh believed: “If you get the culture right, everything else falls into place.”

One of Zappos’ boldest hiring policies? Paying new hires $2,000 to quit. After a few weeks of training, employees are given a choice: take the money and leave or stay and commit. Only about 2–3% take the money—the rest choose to stay because they feel they belong.

This strategy results in:

  • Tighter cultural alignment – Employees are passionate about the company’s values.
  • Lower turnover – Call center jobs typically have a 30–45% attrition rate, but Zappos keeps it under 20%, saving millions in hiring and training costs.
  • Empowered employees – Team members have the freedom to “wow” customers without rigid policies.

CEO takeaway: Hire for cultural fit, not just skills. If employees feel like they truly belong, they’ll stay long-term. Also, empower employees—when they have the freedom to make decisions, they take more pride in their work.

Purpose, Flexibility, and Trust (Patagonia)

No company embodies purpose-driven loyalty better than Patagonia. Their mission is simple: “We’re in business to save our home planet.” Employees don’t just work for Patagonia—they believe in it.

This alignment between company values and employee values creates extraordinary retention:

  • Only 4% turnover at HQ (vs. 20%+ in the retail industry).
  • 100% of mothers return after maternity leave, thanks to on-site childcare and family-friendly policies.

One of Patagonia’s most famous policies? “Let My People Go Surfing.” If the waves are good or the snow is fresh, employees can take time off to surf or ski. This level of trust and flexibility makes work feel less like a job and more like a lifestyle.

CEO takeaway: Align company values with employee passions. If people believe in your mission and have the flexibility to live their best lives, they’ll stay for the long haul.

What These Companies Have in Common

Beyond their unique approaches, Google, Zappos, and Patagonia all share common strategies that build deep employee loyalty:

Continuous Engagement & Community – Google fosters open dialogue with leadership, Zappos creates a culture book full of employee stories, and Patagonia unites employees through activism and volunteer trips.

Measuring and Adapting – Google’s HR team uses people analytics to predict and prevent turnover. Zappos and Patagonia listen closely to employee feedback and adapt accordingly.

A People-First Approach – They all invest in benefits that genuinely improve employee well-being, from flexible work policies to childcare and learning opportunities.

Actionable Takeaways for CEOs

To build true employee loyalty, here’s what leaders should focus on:

Define your culture and hire for fit – Make sure employees align with your company values as Zappos does.

Support employee well-being with real benefits – Health care, flexibility, and family-friendly policies create long-term commitment (Patagonia’s approach proves this).

Foster pride and ownership – Employees who feel proud to be part of your company stay (Google’s 98% employee pride rate is proof).

Encourage personal growth – Offer learning opportunities and career paths to keep employees engaged and excited about their future.

Lead with purpose – Employees need to feel their work matters. Google, Patagonia, and Zappos succeed because they connect work to a greater mission.

In an era of high turnover, the best retention strategy isn’t a pay raise—it’s creating a workplace where people genuinely want to be. When employees are happy, motivated, and aligned with a strong mission, they don’t just stay—they become ambassadors who fuel the company’s success from within.

March 18, 2025 by

5 Questions to Help You Get Unstuck at Work

We all get stuck. It doesn’t matter how smart, experienced, or successful we are—there comes a time when the ideas stop flowing, the path forward isn’t clear, or motivation just dries up. And when that happens, frustration sets in.

Adam Alter, in The Anatomy of a Breakthrough, makes an important point: getting stuck is inevitable. But instead of seeing it as a sign of failure, we should expect it—and be ready with the right tools to move forward. The best leaders aren’t the ones who never get stuck. They’re the ones who know how to get unstuck, fast.

So the next time you feel like you’re spinning your wheels, ask yourself these five questions. They’ve helped me and many leaders I’ve worked with breakthrough when things felt impossible.

1. What’s the real problem I’m trying to solve?

When we feel stuck, it’s often because we’re focused on the wrong thing. Maybe it’s not the project that’s stalled, but misalignment among your team. Maybe it’s not that you don’t have enough time, but that your priorities aren’t clear. When we misdiagnose the problem, we waste energy on solutions that don’t work.

Try this: Write down the challenge in one sentence. Then ask yourself, “Is this really the problem, or is there something deeper going on?” Keep asking “Why?” until you hit the root cause.

2. What would this look like if it were easy?

Sometimes we overcomplicate things. We assume that solving a problem has to be hard, that a big decision requires a big process, or that moving forward demands a perfect plan. But what if it didn’t? What if the solution was simpler than you thought?

Try this: Imagine you handed this problem to someone with fresh eyes—maybe a colleague, a mentor, or even a friend. What’s the first thing they’d do? Often, the simplest answer is the right one.

3. Who else has solved this before?

You are not the first person to face this kind of challenge. Somewhere, someone has already figured it out. Learning from them can save you months (or years) of struggle.

Try this: Instead of trying to power through alone, ask around. Reach out to a mentor, listen to a podcast from someone who’s been in your shoes, or even do a quick search for case studies. The right insight could be all you need to get unstuck.

4. What’s the smallest step I can take right now?

When you’re overwhelmed, it’s tempting to wait for the perfect plan or the right moment. But progress doesn’t come from giant leaps—it comes from small, consistent steps. The key is to do something, even if it’s tiny.

Try this: Identify one thing you can do in the next 10 minutes that moves you forward. Then do it. Action creates momentum.

5. What’s at stake if I don’t move forward?

If you stay stuck, what happens? What opportunities will you miss? What will your team, your business, or your customers lose out on? Sometimes, the best way to shake off inertia is to remind yourself of what’s at risk.

Try this: Fast forward a year. If you’re still stuck in the same place, how will you feel? Will you regret not taking action sooner? Let that drive you forward.

The truth is, we all hit roadblocks. 

But being stuck doesn’t mean you’re failing—it just means you need to shift your perspective. 

These five questions are like a mental reset button. 

They help you stop spinning your wheels and start moving forward again.

So if you’re feeling stuck today, take a deep breath and ask yourself: 

What’s the next step? 

The answer might be closer than you think.

Onward!

March 14, 2025 by