Culting of Brands When Customers Become

At first glance, companies like Apple and Nike have little in common with organizations like the Hell's Angels and the Unification Church. But in reality, they all fulfill the main definition of a cult: They attract people who see themselves as different from the masses in some fundamental way. Contrary to stereotypes, most cult members aren't emotionally unstable — they're just normal folks searching for a sense of belonging.

Marketing expert Douglas Atkin has spent years researching both full-blown cults and companies that use cult-branding techniques. He interviewed countless cult members to find out what makes them tick. And he explains exactly how brands like Harley-Davidson, Saturn, JetBlue, and Ben & Jerry's make their customers feel unique, important, and part of an exclusive group — and how that leads to solid, long-term relationships between a company and its customers.

In addition to describing a fascinating phenomenom, The Culting of Brands will be of enormous value to business leaders. It will teach marketers how to align themselves with a specific segment of the population, how to attract and keep new "members," how to establish a mythology about the company, and how to manage a workforce filled with true believers. Once a brand achieves cult status, it becomes almost impossible for a competitor to dethrone it. The Culting of Brands will reveal the secrets of fierce customer identification and, most important, unbreakable loyalty.

Marketing expert Atkin explains how brands like Harley-Davidson, JetBlue, and Ben & Jerry's make their customers feel unique, important, and part of an exclusive group.

Marketing experts explain how brands make their customers feel unique, important, and part of an exclusive group.

Reveals the secrets of customer loyalty.

Crazy as it sounds, the calculus of building a powerful new brand is the same as that for a cult. This is a breakthrough book that will make you rethink what you thought you knew about brands (and religion!). (Seth Godin, author of Purple Cow)

Contents

Introduction xi

1. THE GREAT CULT PARADOX: WHY PEOPLE JOIN 1

2. YO‛RE DIFFERENT, W‛RE DIFFERENT 17

3. WE LOVE YOU 35

4. YOU BELONG 57

5. CULTING IS A CONTACT SPORT 67

6. W‛RE IN THIS TOGETHER 81

7. THIS IS WHAT WE BELIEVE 95

8. SYMBOLISM 111

9. COMMITMENT IS A TWO-WAY STREET 121

10. GO FORTH AND MULTIPLY 135

11. TENSION: THE MANAGEMENT OF DEVIANCE 145

12. A CULT IS BORN 161

13. THE CULT WAVERS, A CHURCH STRENGTHENS 173

14. WHO RUNS THE CULT? 187

CONCLUSION 199

Notes 205

Bibliography 211

Index 221