Orchestrating Obsession: 7 Things That All Cult Brands Have in Common

As much as we’d like to look at brands as a unique collection of perceptions, experiences, and identifying features, let’s keep it a one hundred, in all actuality, that isn’t how we truly see brands at all. 

Most of us view brands as so much more than what they actually are; more so as entities with personalities, attitudes, and dare I say—hearts. And that especially holds true for cult brands.

Investopedia defines a cult brand as a company, product or service with a fiercely loyal customer base whose devotion borders on fanaticism, treating ownership not as a simple transaction but as a core part of their personal identity and lifestyle.

Consumer cult brands aren’t developed by happenstance. But rather through a series of actions taken by brand strategists who meticulously build their brands with the same seven things in common.

1. They don’t aim to please everyone 

If you’re not familiar with the phrase that a friend to all is a friend to none, what it essentially means is that a person cannot truly be a loyal friend to anyone—if they refuse to ever take a side for the sake of neutrality. 

In a sense, the same logic applies towards cult brands.

Cult brands realize that in order to be everything to their target customer base, they cannot set out to appeal to everyone because by doing so, they become perceived as vanilla and generic; two things that are the antithesis of what leads to brands having a cult-like followings. 

2. They create a sense of community 

A big reason why people become brand fanatics and revere them so much is because the brands they love champion them by creating a sense of community amongst their membership. Author Douglas Atkin explains this phenomena in his book, The Culting of Brands: Turn Your Customers into True Believers. 

“The more cult members are around each other, the stickier the bond.” Says Douglas. “Interaction, contact, and frequent engagement between members are the surest means to develop unbreakable connections to each other, to the group as a whole, and to its doctrine.”

Cult brands garner their following by frequently staying in contact with their members/customer base. They also support programs and communities that their members utilize to communicate amongst themselves (e.g. fan clubs)

3. They promote unifying ideals 

Perhaps what helps create a community most, are shared values and ideals between individuals. Or as author and marketing expert Seth Godin often says, “People like us do things like this.” 

Sports leagues (especially professional) understand that all too well. 

Both sports teams and cult brands realize that more often than not, people who share common goals, principles, proximity, interests, and values—tend to bond socially and develop a deep tribal philosophy.

4. Resist the status quo 

Most of, if not all your favorite brands became your favorites because they all shared a common mindset, which is, the status quo is totally unacceptable! Brands like: Apple, Disney, Nike, Harley-Davidson and many others realize that in order to garner cult-like followings—it is a must to refuse to ever accept the status quo in their market. In fact, they totally detest it! 

5. They target the alienated 

Whether it’s a high school lunchroom, a college campus, or your ordinary workplace—there will always be a group of misfits who feel alone and alienated from the rest of their peers. That also pertains to consumers who feel neglected by brands in the market.

Through targeted branding, advertising, and marketing, cult brands strategically identify prospects that have been neglected by leading brands in the market and appeal towards both their attitudes and interests. 

6. They put the opposition on blast 

Brand advertising wars like: Coca-Cola vs. Pepsi, McDonald’s vs. Burger King, and Apple vs. Samsung that took place throughout the 80s and early 2000s were extremely popular amongst casual consumers; as well as fans of each of those respective brands when they were at their peak. 

But did you know that although they may have come off as comical to the viewers who saw the barbs exchanged by those rival brands going at one another in their marketing communications for the world to see—when brands directly challenge a competitor publicly, it is one of the clearest signs that they have the potential to become a cult brand.

To show a clear contrast between themselves and other market-leaders, at some point, cult brands publicly call out their competitors. 

7. They recruit the right people 

Lastly, brands gain cult followings because they do all of the above, and they also do so because they recruit the “right” people. By recruiting customers who would most align with how their brand ideally wants to be perceived by the public, brands create cult-like followings by recruiting the right people—who go on to recruit others like themselves.

So, the next time you're talking to that friend that is absolutely obsessed with Starbucks, try and give them a little grace because now you know—they were recruited to be that way. 

Is your brand doing any of the abovementioned things? 

Now that you’re aware of the seven things that all cult brands have in common, we’d love to hear which, if any, your startup is also implementing at the moment. So be sure to contact us today and tell us all about it.