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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

Fast Growth or Lasting Brand? Why CEOs Must Refuse to Choose

“How do we grow fast and build a brand that lasts?”

This is one of the most important questions modern CEOs face.

Every quarter brings new revenue targets, performance dashboards, and boardroom pressures to deliver now. Yet, every brand that truly matters—Nike, Apple, Patagonia, Trader Joe’s—was built on a foundation of long-term thinking.

So how do you balance the urgent with the enduring? The answer isn’t either/or.

It’s learning how to win short-term battles without losing the long-term war

The Pitfall: Performance Marketing Without a Soul

In the age of ROAS, CAC, LTV, and A/B testing, it’s easy to lose sight of something critical:

Your brand is not your campaign. It’s your reputation in motion.

Many companies fall into the trap of tactical marketing:

  • Every message is optimized for clicks, not connection.
  • Every channel is optimized for transactions, not transformation.
  • Brand strategy is put on hold because it “doesn’t move the needle fast enough.”

This short-termism creates brands that may convert today—but disappear tomorrow.

Cult Brands think differently.

They understand that emotional loyalty compounds. Each meaningful moment builds equity that no competitor can copy and no price cut can steal.

Brand is the Only Moat That Gets Stronger Over Time

When you invest in brand, you’re investing in:

  • Relevance: staying emotionally attuned to your Brand Lover’s needs
  • Trust: the single most important driver of long-term profitability
  • Community: customers who promote you without being paid
  • Pricing power: because brands that are loved don’t get commoditized

In short, brand is your business’s gravity. It pulls people in and keeps them close.

But like gravity, it’s invisible—until you don’t have it.

Quantifying What “Can’t Be Measured”

One of the greatest challenges CEOs face is defending brand investments in rooms obsessed with quarterly metrics.

The Cult Branding Workbook offers a powerful reframe:

“Just because your customers love you doesn’t mean you’re loving them back.”

Performance metrics measure clicks. Brand metrics measure care.

  • Care in how you show up.
  • Care in how you communicate.
  • Care in how you solve real human needs.

Yes, you should track performance. But don’t mistake the map for the terrain. A 3% lift in CTR means nothing if your brand becomes forgettable.

Fast and Forever: Building Brand into the Business Model

Here’s the good news: You don’t have to choose between growth and equity.

The best brands build growth into their identity:

  • Trader Joe’s doesn’t run ads—they build stores that feel like treasure hunts.
  • Liquid Death doesn’t rely on discounting—they use irreverent storytelling that fuels word of mouth.
  • Apple doesn’t shout “buy now”—they make products people line up for.

Each of these companies plays the long game in how they generate revenue.

You can too. But it takes discipline.

The Cult Brand Approach to Sustainable Growth

Want to grow fast and build a brand that lasts? Start here:

✅ Define your Brand Lover. Build your strategy around serving them—not the algorithm.

✅ Align all customer touchpoints with your emotional promise. Don’t let sales and service feel like different companies.

✅ Invest in human needs, not just product features. As the Workbook says: “People love companies that love them.”

✅ Measure what matters: loyalty, advocacy, repeat rate—not just conversions.

✅ Make internal alignment a growth lever. Your culture is your delivery system.

Brand Is a Strategy, Not a Slogan

Fast growth and lasting impact aren’t opposites. In fact, they require each other.

Growth without a brand creates churn. A brand without growth becomes nostalgia.

But when you blend the two—you build a business people love, remember, and return to.

Before you approve the next campaign or quarterly push, ask:

“Does this move us closer to becoming the only brand our customers would choose—even if we disappeared from the shelf?”

That’s not just brand equity. That’s future-proofing.

August 5, 2025 by

Brand–Culture Alignment: Delivering on the Promise from the Inside Out

“Are we delivering on our brand promise at every customer touchpoint—from the inside out?”

This is the question smart CEOs are asking.

Because no matter how inspiring your brand story is, how slick your campaigns are, or how bold your customer promise may sound—it all breaks down if your internal culture doesn’t live it.

Let’s be blunt:

Customers don’t experience your mission statement. They experience your people.

And if those people aren’t aligned, inspired, and empowered, the brand promise will always ring hollow.

So what does it take to build real alignment between brand and culture?

Understand That Culture Is the Brand Delivery System

The Cult Branding Workbook makes this clear: A brand is not just a message—it’s a co-authored experience. You set the intention. The customer defines the meaning.

But that intention? It lives or dies inside your organization.

  • Your culture drives behavior.
  • Behavior drives experiences.
  • And experiences define your brand in the customer’s mind.

Brand ≠ Marketing.
Brand = Culture in Action.

If your front-line team doesn’t know your Brand Lover—or worse, doesn’t care—you don’t have a cult brand. You have a broken promise.

Identify the Internal Misalignments Early

Many CEOs sense the drift:

  • The customer service that used to feel warm now feels robotic.
  • Remote teams don’t embody the same energy.
  • New hires onboarded in a rush miss the deeper “why.”
  • Teams post-merger feel like they wear different jerseys.

This is what we call internal brand leakage.

To fix it, the Cult Branding Workbook recommends a “Sell-In” process:
Before you launch the brand out there, make sure it’s fully lived in here.

Ask yourself:

  • Do our teams understand who our Brand Lover is?
  • Can they describe the emotional need we fulfill?
  • Do they see how their role impacts that promise?

If not, you’ve got a values vacuum—and no campaign will fix that.

Scale Culture Without Losing Soul

As you grow, alignment becomes exponentially harder.

Whether you’re hiring quickly, integrating new teams post-acquisition, or shifting to remote work—your culture is either scaling by design or eroding by default.

Cult Brands do this differently.

They don’t rely on a mission poster in the breakroom. They:

  • Codify the Brand-Lover Statement so every employee knows who they serve.
  • Create internal rituals that reinforce core values.
  • Make customer feedback visible and actionable, showing the impact of great (or failed) brand moments.
  • Invest in training, storytelling, and emotional intelligence—not just systems and scripts.

They design their operating culture around delivering emotional value, not just functional performance.

Culture is the Hidden Differentiator

In saturated markets, where products are equal and prices are transparent, your culture becomes your secret weapon.

Think of Southwest Airlines: the “freedom to move about the country” isn’t a tagline—it’s a cultural truth supported by every team member, from pilots to baggage handlers.

Or Zappos: they don’t just deliver shoes—they deliver delight, because their culture empowers people to go above and beyond, without a script.

If your employees feel respected, inspired, and clear on the “why,” they will naturally become the best carriers of your brand.

You don’t get aligned once. 

You stay aligned continuously.

That means:

✅ Constant communication
✅ Regular storytelling around customer wins
✅ Rituals that reinforce values
✅ Hiring and recognition tied to the brand promise

When the brand and culture move in unison, magic happens:

  • Customers feel the difference.
  • Employees become evangelists.
  • Loyalty grows. Revenue follows.

Ask yourself today:

“If I called five random employees, could they tell me what we stand for—and how they live it?”

If the answer isn’t a resounding yes, it’s time to align from the inside out.

Need help bridging the gap between brand and culture?

We’ve helped build unbreakable alignment for organizations navigating growth, transformation, and change.

Let’s talk:

✉️ [email protected]

August 3, 2025 by

Differentiation in a Saturated Market: How Cult Brands Win Where Others Fade

In today’s noisy, choice-rich economy, CEOs are losing sleep over one pressing concern:

“Why should anyone choose us over the competition—and stay with us?”

With price wars, mature categories, and advertising overload, simply having a “better product” isn’t enough. Consumers aren’t just buying features anymore. They’re buying meaning, connection, and identity.

So how do some brands not only stand out but rise above the noise to become irreplaceable?

They don’t just differentiate—they transform into Cult Brands.

Let’s explore how.

From Demographics to Devotion: Discover Your Brand Lover

Most brands define their audience by segments and personas.

Cult Brands go deeper. They seek out their Brand Lover—that irrationally loyal customer who would never dream of switching.

In the Cult Branding Workbook, we ask:

  • Who loves you the most?
  • What are they truly buying from you (beyond the product)?
  • What emotional or symbolic role do you play in their lives?

Brands like Harley-Davidson or Apple don’t win because they appeal to everyone. They win because they obsess over serving their most passionate customers better than anyone else ever could.

This is your first step in building meaningful differentiation:

🎯 Don’t target—serve with intensity.

Fulfill Higher Human Needs, Not Just Market Demand

Differentiation doesn’t live in product specs. It lives in the hearts of customers.

Using Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (a central idea in the workbook), we see that most brands address lower-level needs: convenience, price, speed.

But Cult Brands live higher in the pyramid:

  • Belonging → “I feel like I’m part of something.”
  • Esteem → “This brand makes me feel confident and proud.”
  • Self-Actualization → “This brand helps me become who I want to be.”

Think Patagonia. Their jackets aren’t just warm—they represent a lifestyle of activism and conscious living.

If you want to build loyalty instead of just awareness, your brand must become a tool for identity and transformation.

Own Your “Look, Say, Feel”

Most marketing tries to push attention.

Cult Brands attract by delivering a consistent sensory and emotional experience across all touchpoints:

  • Look → What visuals represent your promise?
  • Say → What words carry your brand’s belief system?
  • Feel → What emotional tone do customers pick up on instantly?

This “Look, Say, Feel” framework from the workbook ensures your brand isn’t just seen—it’s felt.

A Cult Brand doesn’t just have a logo. It has a vibe.

Here’s where most brands fall short.

They think of customers as individuals.

Cult Brands think of them as tribes.

They invest in creating rituals, shared experiences, events, forums, and feedback loops. They create spaces where customers connect with each other, not just with the brand.

From Jimmy Buffett’s Parrotheads to Apple product launches to Harley-Davidson bike rallies—these are more than marketing. They’re movements.

Community isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s the ultimate loyalty engine.

Sell-In Before You Sell Out

Before you communicate your brand promise to the world, make sure your team believes it.

One of the most overlooked aspects of brand building is internal alignment.

From the front desk to product development, every team member must understand:

  • Who the Brand Lover is
  • What emotional needs you’re fulfilling
  • How their daily role impacts that experience

Cult Brands turn every employee into a brand ambassador. Culture is the delivery mechanism of differentiation.

If you want to escape commoditization, the answer isn’t louder ads or clever taglines. It’s building a relationship that only you can offer—because it’s based on who you serve, how you serve, and why it matters emotionally.

To recap, here’s the Cult Branding formula for differentiation:

✅ Know your Brand Lover
✅ Fulfill higher human needs
✅ Deliver a consistent look, say, and feel
✅ Create community
✅ Align your internal culture to serve the Brand Lover

When you build around these ideas, you stop being one of many—and start being the only one that matters.

August 1, 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

Putting Customers First (No, Really)

Over the years, I’ve written a lot about customer loyalty, brand love, and building communities. But if I had to sum up the heart of it all in two words, it would be this:

👉 Customers First

That’s why I wrote my third book with exactly that title.

Because while a lot of companies say they put customers first, very few actually do it in a meaningful, consistent, soul-level kind of way.

This book is about what it really takes to lead with customers at the center of everything—and the extraordinary results that follow when you do.

What Customers First Is Really About

Let’s be honest: “customers first” sounds like a slogan. It’s been printed on walls, websites, and team t-shirts.

But the truth is—putting customers first isn’t a phrase. It’s a philosophy.
It’s a culture. A mindset. A daily discipline.

This book helps leaders break through the lip service and build organizations that truly prioritize people—their needs, their emotions, their experiences, their dreams.

It’s not about being perfect. It’s about being real.
And it’s about building trust at every touchpoint.

What You’ll Learn in Customers First

✅ How to identify your Brand Lovers and what they really want
✅ Why customer-centric thinking needs to start at the top (yes, you, CEO!)
✅ The difference between service and serving
✅ How internal alignment = external excellence
✅ The key emotional drivers behind long-term loyalty
✅ How to create company-wide rituals that reflect your love for your customer
✅ What happens when your team becomes your first customer

My Favorite Truth From the Book:

“People love companies that love them.”

It really is that simple.

Customers want to feel seen.
They want to be appreciated.
They want to believe that the brands they support would go the extra mile for them—and not just when it’s convenient.

When your team genuinely puts the customer first, the customer puts your brand first. It’s not magic—it’s just human.

Why This Book Still Feels Urgent

Today’s consumers are smarter, faster, and more empowered than ever.

They can sniff out fake empathy in a second. And they’re not afraid to walk away from brands that don’t walk their talk.

Customers First isn’t about checking boxes—it’s about building deep emotional trust that makes people want to stick around, spend more, and tell their friends.

If you want to future-proof your brand, start here.

If you’re serious about building a customer-first culture—let’s talk about how I can help. Whether it’s a workshop, keynote, or consulting partnership, I’d love to support your journey.

Your customers are waiting. Let’s show them they come first.

Onward,
– BJ

July 22, 2025 by

Why We Talk: The Secret Behind Word-of-Mouth (and How to Earn It)

👋 Hey Cult Branding fam—it’s BJ Bueno again.

Today, I want to talk about something we all know is powerful… but rarely understand deeply: word-of-mouth.

Why do some brands get talked about constantly—while others get ignored?

That’s the question I set out to answer in my second book:

Why We Talk: The Truth Behind Word-of-Mouth.

If you’ve ever wondered how to get your customers to spread the word naturally, without begging or bribing—this one’s for you.

The Big Idea Behind Why We Talk

When I wrote Why We Talk, I wasn’t just thinking about marketing—I was thinking about human nature.

We’re wired to talk.
We’re wired to share stories.
And we’re wired to connect with people through the things we love.

The brands we talk about aren’t just “cool.” They’re emotionally meaningful. They help us say something about who we are. They give us stories to tell. They make us feel smart, special, inspired—or even part of something bigger.

That’s what fuels real word-of-mouth.

Not gimmicks. Not giveaways.
Just real emotional value.

What You’ll Learn in Why We Talk

This book takes you deep into the psychology of sharing—why people pass things along, what gets remembered, and how your brand can become something worth talking about.

You’ll learn:

✅ How to turn your customers into natural storytellers
✅ What brain science says about why we talk (hint: it’s not just logic)
✅ Why managing expectations is crucial—and how to exceed them
✅ How to create “surprise moments” that people can’t help but share
✅ Why you need to stop “pushing” your brand and start creating moments of wonder
✅ The three types of conversations that build reputation—and how to spark them

One of My Favorite Concepts: The Magic Trick 🎩

In the book, I talk about how a great brand experience is like a magic trick.

There’s a setup (what people expect),
Then there’s a surprise (what actually happens),
And in that moment—when the impossible feels possible—something unforgettable occurs.

That’s where word-of-mouth lives.

Want to be talked about?
Start creating magic.

Why This Book Still Hits Hard Today

In a world flooded with content, ads, and noise, Why We Talk reminds us of a simple truth:

People don’t share what’s boring.
They share what moves them.
What makes them feel? What makes them go, “You’ve gotta hear this…”

If you want your brand to grow organically, this book gives you the roadmap.

And if you want help creating experiences and moments that get people talking, let’s chat.

Word-of-mouth isn’t just a marketing tool—it’s a human connection strategy.

Talk soon,

– BJ

July 20, 2025 by

Why The Power of Cult Branding Still Matters (Maybe More Than Ever)

👋 Hey friends, it’s BJ Bueno here.

First off—welcome to all the new readers joining our Cult Branding community! I’m really glad you’re here. Every once in a while, I like to take it back to where this whole journey started for me: my first book, The Power of Cult Branding.

It’s wild to think it’s been over 20 years since this book came out. And yet, the ideas inside are still helping brands (big and small) turn customers into passionate, loyal fans.

So if you’re new to the concept of “cult branding” or just wondering what all the fuss is about, this post is for you.

So… what IS The Power of Cult Branding?

Great question.

This book started with a simple question:
Why do some customers tattoo brand logos on their bodies… while others barely remember where they shopped last week?

The answer?
It’s not about price. Or convenience. Or even product quality.

It’s about belonging.
It’s about identity.
It’s about how a brand makes people feel—about themselves, their values, and their community.

The Power of Cult Branding is a deep dive into what makes brands like Harley-Davidson, Apple, Vans, and Oprah more than just businesses. They’re movements. They’re tribes. They’re part of people’s lives.

What You’ll Learn in the Book

This book is practical and personal. You’ll find case studies, frameworks, and tons of real-world stories. But most importantly, you’ll learn:

✅ Why traditional marketing often fails—and what to do instead
✅ How to discover and serve your Brand Lovers
✅ The 7 Golden Rules shared by every Cult Brand
✅ How to build emotional bonds that go way beyond transactions
✅ Why your customers want to join, not just buy
✅ What it really means to put your customers first

This isn’t a “how to go viral” book. It’s a “how to build something meaningful and lasting” book.

The 7 Golden Rules of Cult Branding (A Sneak Peek)

Just to give you a taste, here are the 7 big takeaways:

  1. Customers want to be part of a group that’s different
  2. Cult Brand leaders are courageous (they zig when others zag)
  3. Cult Brands sell lifestyles—not just products
  4. They listen deeply to their best customers
  5. They build communities, not just companies
  6. They’re radically inclusive and open
  7. They draw strength from opposition and champion personal freedom

Why This Book Still Hits Home Today

In a world of algorithms, short attention spans, and endless ads, The Power of Cult Branding reminds us of something deeply human:

People crave connection.
They want to be seen, heard, and valued.
And they will go out of their way to support brands that make them feel that way.

That’s what Cult Branding is all about.

If your team is exploring how to apply these ideas—whether through a workshop, retreat, or deep-dive strategy session—reach out. This book has been the launchpad for some incredible brand transformations.

📩 Let’s connect: [email protected]

Here’s to building brands people believe in.

– BJ

July 18, 2025 by

52 Things You Can Learn From My Books (Hi, I’m BJ!)

Hi there—it’s me, BJ Bueno 👋

If you’re new here—welcome! We’ve had a lot of new subscribers recently, and I just wanted to take a moment to say hello and introduce myself.

I’m the founder of The Cult Branding Company and the author of a few books you might’ve heard of (The Power of Cult Branding, Why We Talk, Customers First, and The Cult Branding Workbook). For over two decades, I’ve worked with some incredible brands—Wellings, Coca-Cola, Vans, Apple, you name it—to help them build deep emotional bonds with the customers who love them most.

If you’re here, you probably care about building more than just a brand—you want to build a brand that matters. That people talk about. A brand people want to join.

So to help you get started (or re-inspired), I’ve pulled together a quick, fun list of 52 bite-sized takeaways from my books. Think of them as weekly nudges, one for every week of the year.

Let’s dive in 🧠🔥

52 Cult Branding Truths You Can Actually Use

  1. Loyalty isn’t a strategy—it’s the outcome of purposeful, ethical actions.
  2. Don’t ask to be liked. Be loved—through shared values, not just features.
  3. Products are items. Cult Brands are movements rooted in belief.
  4. Cultivate belonging with immersive experiences.
  5. Your brand lives in hearts—not headlines—through emotional resonance.
  6. Want fast growth? Consistently exceed expectations—real and personalized.
  7. Word of mouth isn’t marketing—it’s human psychology at work.
  8. Surprise sparks stories. Stories spark loyalty.
  9. Brands should mirror customers—not shout above them.
  10. Emotionally engaged customers deliver 150–300% more lifetime value.
  11. Rituals give meaning. Design a few.
  12. Help people become who they aspire to be.
  13. Connection > reach. Depth beats size.
  14. Your brand isn’t a logo. It’s a relationship and a promise.
  15. Want loyalty? Demonstrate loyalty first.
  16. Purpose isn’t fluff—it’s your identity compass.
  17. Trying to please everyone = pleasing no one.
  18. Prioritize your Brand Lovers—serve them well.
  19. Don’t compete. Transcend through unique values.
  20. Indifference kills—engagement saves.
  21. Shared language builds tribe-level identity.
  22. Loyalty is identity-based. Make them proud to buy.
  23. Embrace opposition—it sharpens your identity.
  24. Action tells the truth. Behavior > surveys.
  25. Community requires ethical stewardship.
  26. Embrace what makes you weird—it’s your strength.
  27. Clarity builds trust.
  28. Master one emotional need—then nail it every time.
  29. Customers crave progress—not just products.
  30. Invest in relationships—play the long game.
  31. Your culture is your brand—internally and externally.
  32. The best ad? A memorable experience.
  33. Authenticity isn’t a style—it’s a true story.
  34. Loyalty = trust + time + meaning.
  35. Don’t market at them—co-create with them.
  36. The messy middle is where preference is decided.
  37. Function is expected. Connection is differential.
  38. Every brand needs a myth to live in.
  39. Be useful, human, and unforgettable across all channels.
  40. They’re already talking—give them something worth saying.
  41. Ask: When people own our brand, who do they become?
  42. Don’t chase attention. Earn affection.
  43. If it doesn’t feel different, it isn’t different.
  44. Offer freedom and belonging.
  45. Listen hard. Then act boldly.
  46. Culture is branding in action—ensure it’s felt everywhere.
  47. Transactional thinking blocks transformation.
  48. Customers won’t join if your team won’t—empower them first.
  49. Give your audience a role—in stories, communities, movements.
  50. The best loyalty program? A sense of meaning and purpose.
  51. Your brand is a promise—deliver it consistently.
  52. Want love? Love them first—through empathy, service, and respect.

Let’s Work Together (Or Just Say Hi!)

If this list speaks to you, and you’re ready to take your brand—and your customer connection—to the next level, we should talk.

✅ Executive strategy sessions
✅ Keynotes & workshops
✅ Deep-dive consulting that helps you build real, long-term loyalty

Email me anytime: [email protected]
Or just reply to this post and say hi—I love hearing from you.

Let’s build something people believe in.

With gratitude,

– BJ

July 15, 2025 by

🔥 What 4,700 Top YouTube Ads Reveal About Brand Loyalty, Culture, and the Future of Storytelling

At Cult Branding, we don’t chase trends—we decode human behavior. We seek out how people really connect with brands—how they form communities, foster shared identity, and create meaning. So when Google used AI to analyze over 4,700 of YouTube’s top-performing ads, I paid close attention.

Their findings reinforce what we’ve been saying for two decades: the future of marketing belongs to brands that empower storytelling, forge emotional resonance, and meet people inside their lived culture.

Here are the three biggest takeaways — and how you can apply them to build a cult brand in the age of digital noise.

Tell Multiformat, Human-Centered Stories

In a fragmented media landscape, format no longer defines value—emotional resonance does.

Volvo didn’t just launch its new EX90 electric vehicle—they gave it a soul. First, a four-minute cinematic story made the car the protagonist. Then, the car told its own version in a 60-second spot. They followed with a 15-second audio-first piece to glue it all together.

The result?
📈 +250% search lift
❤️ +95% brand consideration
💰 $80 million in earned media

This is not just ad optimization—it’s emotional architecture. Brands like Apple, Starbucks, and Activision joined Volvo in using multiple narrative formats to reach audiences where they live—intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually.

Cult Brand Insight:
This is the signature of what we call the Brand Collective—where the product becomes part of a greater story your customers identify with.

Creators Aren’t “Influencers”—They’re Cultural Architects

The most powerful campaigns weren’t studio-built—they were co-created with trusted creators. YouTube creators like Adam Waheed, Michelle Khare, and Zach King didn’t “insert” brands into their content—they wove them into their stories.

What worked?
✅ Authenticity
✅ Creative control
✅ Cultural alignment

Take Michelle Khare’s 87-minute video on martial arts training, which elegantly fused Dove’s mission to support women in sports. It didn’t feel like an ad—it felt like a manifesto for empowered living.

Cult Brand Insight:
These creators function like high priests of community—they build trust, rituals, and shared identity. When you empower them, you’re not placing ads. You’re nurturing fandom, which as we’ve shown, is the heart of loyalty.

Culture Is the New Currency — So Show Up with Meaning

Culturally intelligent brands didn’t interrupt. They joined in.

Calm released a moment of silence during the heat of the U.S. presidential election. Coke Studio Bharat blended Indian folk and pop into an immersive experience. And Toyota gave Zach King full creative control to craft an action short that honored his Asian-American heritage.

These weren’t ads. They were acts of belonging.

Whether it was NFL Sunday Ticket parodying product placements or Starbucks anchoring its identity in barista life, these campaigns showed up not as content—but as cultural contribution.

Cult Brand Insight:
This is what we call Shared Consciousness—one of the three signatures of community that drive lifelong loyalty. You aren’t selling to customers; you’re inviting them to a movement.

YouTube Isn’t Just a Platform. It’s a Cultural Ecosystem.

This AI-powered study reminded me of something we tell clients all the time:

Don’t just measure ROI. Measure RCI—Return on Cultural Investment.

The brands winning on YouTube aren’t shouting louder. They’re listening better. They’re aligning with creators, tapping into the collective energy of community, and showing up in culturally sacred spaces with something real to say.

Because in today’s world, attention isn’t the goal.

Belonging is.

—BJ

July 13, 2025 by