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.

Ten-Countries-200-Billion-Later By the former Chief Marketing Officer of Walmart, Paul Higham I suspect that most 13-year-olds are curious about their future—I know I was. One day, my mother brought home a little black and yellow hard-backed book called Careers (I’m not entirely sure of the title, as this was nearly 50 years ago). I found a quiet place and devoured the book.

Last week, we wrote about the power of the individual customers to transform your business. The intensely-devoted customers we highlighted—the Brand Lovers—seek out like-minded individuals to form brand communities. These groups become close-knit with ties that resemble family—or in modern parlance: they become framily. Here’s a...