What I’m Reading: The Culting of Brands
I’m currently reading a great book on Branding called, “The Culting of Brands: When Customers Become True Believers” by Douglas Atkin.
Atkin provides evidence and case studies that illustrate how religious cults and brands are very similar, and outlines the strategies marketers can use to build cult-like followings for their brands.
Most of us, when we think of the word “cult,” envision obsessive, socially inept and desperate people with serious psychological problems.
Atkin argues that the reality of cult members is actually quite the opposite: they are intelligent and educated social-connectors. He also says that, “..people become addicted to ‘cult brands’ like jetBlue, Apple, eBay or Mary Kay for more or less the same reasons that people become committed to cults like the Hare Krishna.”
According to Atkin, “A cult is normally a group that embraces new or fundamentally different ideas. Its ideology departs significantly from the prevailing beliefs of the surrounding culture. It is therefore progressive.”
A few key points:
- “People in significant numbers are not going to join an organization populated by social failures. They will be drawn to a religion such as the Mormon church, and a brand such as Saturn, through word of mouth. That mouth has to belong to someone whom potential recruiters will trust and respect.”
- Most of the public think people join cults to conform. They actually join to become more individual. Atkin interviewed a writer and Mac user who said, ” ‘..a Mac made me creative. No, actually, I was creative to begin with, and in some ways, they made me more creative.’ It had taken that part of his identity that he considers his most defining characteristic, his creativity, and accelerated it. That’s a pretty important role he has ascribed to a mere brand.”
- Cults/brands must exist outside of social norms in order to be embraced by their target audience. In other words, you can’t be all things to all people. For marketers, this is a perfect example of the importance of niche marketing. By separating yourself from the mainstream, you appeal to the alienated group who will become loyal advocates of your brand. Harley-Davidson is a great case study: they have a repeat purchase rate of 95%!
Overall, this book provides an interesting viewpoint on how brands are built. I felt it was a little repetitive and could have been about 50 pages shorter, but I found the sections on jetBlue and Saturn especially interesting.
There are so many products and services out there with little to differentiate them in the eyes of the consumer. The most important concept a marketer needs to understand is that consumers are looking for an emotional connection in “cult” or “brand” communities, and the individual’s need to become a part of these puzzles gives marketers an excellent hot-button to push.
