How to create a cult (brand)

Look, I don’t want to get in trouble for encouraging anybody to try and start a cult.

But if you want your brand to inspire fanatical devotion, you need to understand what makes a cult brand.

I promise there will be no satanic or sacrificial rituals involved. No, instead we’re going to use savvy marketing to achieve worship status for our brands.

How? It takes a mixture of cultivating community and clever brand positioning. This is how you garner a following of passionate customers that feel such a strong affinity toward your brand, it becomes a part of their personal identity.

This results in strong customer communities both online and offline.

And how do we appeal to a community? By giving customers chances to connect with one another through your brand.

Take Apple as an example, whose following has been likened to religion.

Its cult-like appeal is fuelled by its enthusiastic and extremely vocal fan base. Give an Apple user any chance to talk about why they chose the product over Android, and you’ll likely regret asking.

Apple users aren't just customers—they're evangelists.

These devoted advocates will passionately promote (and defend) Apple products to anyone who will listen. And they will out anyone who doesn’t already use their products (see: green bubble struggle.)

Apple has positioned itself as an essential part of its consumers' lifestyles. And this makes it a brand people can't imagine living without.

This is what fosters such a deep level of customer loyalty, and compels them to forsake all competitors. Apple has developed every aspect of the brand to delight the consumer.

Cult brands carefully tap into the consumer psyche to become closely intertwined with fans’ lifestyles. These companies don’t just sell products – they tap into a resonant cultural theme.

They provide a sense of community for consumers, a promise beyond the product itself.

People buy into the lifestyle the brand promotes, and what affiliating with their products says about them.

It’s like being in a unique club, permeating consumers' innate sense of self.

Think about a brand like Harley-Davidson. It's easy to see that the brand markets a distinct lifestyle. Wearing the brand becomes part of one's identity. It defines who consumers hang out with and what they believe in.

According to US-based author and podcaster Amanda Montell, cult brands offer 'identity benefits' that act as a balm in a maze of consumer choice.

'On social media, we're able to see infinite options of where our life could go,' she says. These seemingly endless choices create an overwhelming chooser’s paradox. So when a brand can offer a template to help you figure out what choices you should be making, it makes navigating the endless options much easier.

This is what gives cult brands their staying power over trendy companies that come as fast as they go. In the end, cult brands endure because they offer more than just products. They offer identity, community, and a clear path in a world full of choices.

So, how do we create a cult?

If anything, a cult is a community. So focus on building that community where customers can connect with one another through your brand. Encourage interactions and create platforms for your customers to engage, share experiences, and feel a part of something bigger than just the product. This strengthens customer loyalty and transforms buyers into passionate brand advocates.

Position your brand as something they can’t live without. Go beyond just selling a product. Instead, position your brand as a vital part of your customers' lives. Highlight how your brand fits into and enhances their daily routines, values, and identity. By doing so, you can create deep emotional connections and loyalty that make your brand indispensable.

-Sophie, Writer