Cult branding based on marketing and cult brand

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1. Cult Branding

2. Defining CULT
•A religion or religious sect generally considered to be extremist, with its
followers often living in an unconventional manner under the guidance
of an authoritarian, charismatic leader.
•Obsessive, especially faddish, devotion to or veneration for a person,
principle, or thing.
•An exclusive group of persons sharing an esoteric, usually artistic or
intellectual interest.
Dictionary.com

3. CULTS -A social analysis
•Cult Organisations -Jehovah’s Witness, The Moonies, Maharishi Mahesh
Yogi, Scientologists
•These cults have fine-tuned marketing to hook into the nuances of
human nature
•Cults have a closed boundary.You’re either in or out. This creates
passionate solidarity.
•It’s actually not that easy getting into a cult. There is a definite process to
joining.
•Cults have strong central ideology and leadership.This fosters alignment
and clarity.
•Cults are a parallel social universe with their own rituals, relationship
structures and experiences. This binds individuals to the cause.
“How Cults Seduce” by Alex Wipperfurth & John Grant

4. CULT Brands
•Cult brands are spheres of influence
•Primarily, they wield an influence over consumers’ purchasing
decision.
–They get repeatedly chosen over competition
–They bring higher prices than competition
–Week after week, month after month, year after year
•Cult brand consumers not only use the product, but evangelize to the
world about it.
•Cult brands exhibit a high degree of consumer loyalty
•Cult brands have a locked-in cadre of consumers who will come back
with more business -a core group of happy, repeat purchasers
“The Power of Cult Branding” by Matthew W Ragas & Bolivar J Bueno

5. Case Studies
Global Cult Brands

6. Harley Davidson
•Harley-Davidson stirs passion in its riders, its dealers and its employees,
and translates that passion into profit.
•More than half of new Harley sales are to old consumers trading up
•886, 000 strong HOGs community
•HOG = Harley Owners Group
•HOGs organise rides, training courses, charity fund-raisers, social events
•Riders Edge -A 3 day driver’s training course organised by dealers for
new motorcycle riders
•Harley's appeal straddles class boundaries, stirring the hearts of Hells
Angels and corporate titans alike.

8. Apple Computers
•Only controls 5% of worldwide PC market with $5 billion in sales
•Locked into profitable niches -the whole multimedia community
•Changed the relationship between human & computer -high emphasis
on aesthetics & design
–40% of new iMac orders come from first time PC buyers
–Tag line -“Macintosh. A religion. A way of life”
•Use cult media -Apple T-shirts / mugs -to refresh company allegiance
–T-shirt size field on job application
•Thousands of Mac users show up at computer stores and other public
places all the time, for free, to evangelize about Apple’s products and
their love of the Mac.

10. Starbucks
•The cult of coffee...
•The third place in a consumer’s daily existence -a familiar & welcoming
refuge from work or home where they can relax in a safe public setting
and enjoy a sense of community
•A retail experience that revolves around high-quality coffee, personalized
knowledgeable service, and sociability.
•Consumers in a dozen countries associate the Starbucks brand with:
–coffee
–accessible elegance
–community
–individual expression
–control

12. The Body Shop
•Famous for creating a niche market sector for naturally inspired skin and
hair care products
•The Body Shop sells a product every 0.4 seconds with over 77 million
transactions through stores worldwide, with customers sampling a range
of over 600 products and more than 400 accessories
•Mission -To courageously ensure that our business is ecologically
sustainable: meeting the needs of the present without compromising the
future.

14. Amazon.com
•Building trust through convenience, reliability & participation
•Convenience
–One click system
•Shunning elaborate graphics that clutter many websites, it loads up its
customers with information instead
–Capsule descriptions & snippet reviews
–Space for readers to post their own reviews -lets customers sell to each other
•High level of customisation
–On selecting a book, the website is programmed to flash titles of related titles

16. Cult Brands -India

17. Amul
•Amul is a great brand. It has not only been a great dairy products brand
but it has also been a source of income and livelihood to many people in
the state of Gujrat in India... this is something which other brands fail to
do. They build their own brands with all strategies and plans but fail to
do much for the community. One of the many, many reasons why Amul
is a great brand.
•I say it gently... and it releases an adrenaline rush... Its name.. sacred and
sanctified... its taste... beyond every sense... its Indian-ness... a martyr
anyday I know... my Lovemark. Its wit.. its knowledge of my country... its
love for all I love... I salute my Lovemark... my Amul!
•Amul has been around for many decades, symbolised by its cute mascot -
the "utterly butterly" Amul girl with her witty comments on current
affairs across the globe.
Entries on www.lovemarks.com

19. R K Laxman’s ‘Common Man’
•Appearing in the 'Times of India' for decades, this cartoon
commentary portrays the ills of India through the eyes of a
silent sufferer of injustice, the proverbial 'common man'
comes alive.
•R K Laxman's 'Common Man' is the silent conscience of
India and strikes through the verbiage of politics to expose
the stupidity and corruption of those in positions of power.
Entries on www.lovemarks.com

21. Summary
•Cult Brands are identified by consumer passion & excitement around the
brand
•They are self consciously different from rivals
•In addition to product / service quality, cult brands fulfil the high level
needs of esteem, social interaction and self actualisation found at the top
of Maslow’s pyramid
•They form deep & lasting emotional bonds with consumers
•Cult brands project an aura / group identity
•They beget evangelists -consumers are owners -go all out to promote
the brand

22. Why do cult brands thrive?
•Fragmented society -break down & distance in relationships
•Relationships between brands & consumers have become more complex
–High consumer knowledge
–Greater choice
–The death of passive consumption -consumers want their brands to become
a form of self-expression
–Basic human need for security, belonging and social interaction
•Consumers look toward brands to fulfil these needs