I have observed and quantified the phenomenon of Cult Brands since 2001, and Crown Business published these findings in 2002. One thing that I quickly learned is that Cult Brands have mastered the art of building meaningful, long-term relationships with their customers.
When you start to understand the mechanisms behind businesses with raving fan communities, you can apply the same principles to your business to attract more valuable clients and accelerate the growth.
Cult Brands are successful because they draw from the power of humanity. If you’re new to this topic or interested in deepening your knowledge, here are a selection of articles that will give you the competitive edge.
Cult Branding Essentials
What Are Cult Brands: A closer look at what Cult Brands are (and what they are not).
Seven Rules of Cult Brands: All Cult Brands knowingly or unconsciously adhere to these seven powerful principles.
Why Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is Crucial for your Business: Psychologist Abraham Maslow has greatly influenced our understanding of Cult Brands. His categories of human needs help explain both consumer motivation and organizational behavior.
A Big Mistake Most Retailers Make: Cult Brands sell experiences and lifestyles, not products.
Create a Cult Brand
How to Start a Cult: Explores five psychological reasons people join groups and seven steps to creating a cult, tribe, movement—whatever you’d like to call it.
How Cult Brands Tap into Higher Values: Cult Brands go beyond just helping customers meet basic human needs to helping them realize higher level needs as well.
How to Draw Power From Your Enemies: Cult Brands sell freedom.
How Cult Brands Create Magical Experiences for Customers: Many Cult Brands set up the conditions for “participation mystique” that enables customers to express a deeper part of themselves and forge strong bonds with each other.
Why Customers Get Brand Tattoos: The psychology behind consumer body art reveals insights into what drives customers to develop deep connections to the brands they love.
Cultivate Customer Loyalty
How Cult Brands Create Loyal Customers: Cult Brands give their customers a sense of belonging and more positive self-esteem.
Eight Steps to Building Brand Loyalty: Building loyalty takes conscious effort. Here’s a step by step process to help you create more profitable customers.
The Role CEOs Play in Fostering Brand Loyalty: Loyalty is built on trust. Trust must begin with leadership.
Beyond Loyalty Programs: Why you should focus on creating loyal customers and five strategies to do it.
Obsess About Your Customers
7 Reasons to Obsess About Your Best Customers: Seven benefits for making your best customers the central focus of your organization’s primary directive.
7 Insights CEOs Need to Know About Their Customers: The key to becoming customer-centric is getting to know your customers. Here are seven things you want to learn about them.
Brand Lover Go To Market Strategy: Cult Brands build their businesses around a core group of customers. This powerful strategy enables them to create magnetic brands.
A Proven Method for Finding Brand Lovers: Learn how to create customer segments based on degrees of loyalty.
Master Customer Motivation
How to Hook Your Customer: The motivational process highlights the importance of understanding customer needs to attract more customers and build long-term loyalty.
The Three Acts of the Customer’s Journey: Your customers are heroes on their own unique journeys. Your job is to understand what tensions and obstacles they face on their quest and to determine how best to support them in completing a successful adventure.
The Power of Story: Harnessing the power of story can transform both your corporate culture and your brand.
3 Forces that Motivate Customer Decisions: A brief tour of your customer’s brain.