Cult Brands

Cult Brands- Forming And Making
These are the days when the relationship between brands and their customers has become much more complex. For one thing, consumers simply know more than they used to. A customer spurned is a customer lost. Some brands realise this phenomenon wherein the customers have a shared consciousness that connects members to the brands and one another. They uphold rituals and traditions that involve public greeting to recognize and acknowledge fellow Brand Lovers. Such communities preserve a sense of moral responsibility among their members.
The origin of the word cult is essential for any curious learner before getting to know ‘Cult branding’. The word meaning of cult can be dated back to 1617. The etymology id illustrated as below:
Etymology: French & Latin; French culte, from Latin cultus care, adoration, from colere to cultivate
Meanings
1:formal religious veneration : worship
2: a system of religious beliefs and ritual; also : its body of adherents
3: a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious; also : its body of adherents
4: a system for the cure of disease based on dogma set forth by its promulgator <health cults>
5 a : great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work (as a film or book); especially : such devotion regarded as a literary or intellectual fad b : the object of such devotion c : a usually small group of people characterized by such devotion
What is a Cult Brand
Cult brand is a term inspired and drawn perhaps on the similarities between the activities of cults (religious sects) and well-known brands. The comparison begins with the anthropology of cults - an investigation of marketing tactics of cult organizations reveals a high degree of consistency between cults in their overall pattern of activities. The different tactics used by cults and the sub-conscious techniques used by cult brands, status of a cult and cult brand are all interesting areas that helps comprehend what makes a cult brand a “cult” brand. The phenomenon of “consumer devotion” draws a parallel to that of cult following. Certain brands have managed to instil die-hard loyalty in their consumers by giving them an experience, a feeling, and an aura of a group identity which the consumers imbibe and stay committed to. Such brands have come to be called Cult brands. Cult brands don’t just sell products or services: they sell lifestyles. A brand becomes a cult when It is no more a product but a way of life.
Cult brands are the ultimate level in brand loyalty and can be termed super success in branding. They command the loyalty of customers which is unshakeable. However, no product in India has really qualified to be called a cult brand. Not only products, but even personalities can attain cult brand status.
Weird but true!
The story of energy drink Red Bull which captured the market, in the midst of the protests and barriers against its market entry, creating a cult following in the process helps one understand the power of cult. As rumors about the product’s potential health hazards spread endlessly, the company smartly followed a myth building strategy. Thus, the more rumors of potential dangers of Red Bull spread the more the drink sold. Red bull’s strongest asset was its cult like following by its customers, bar staff and other stakeholders. The company knew how to facilitate the creation of Red Bull as an urban legend, and they understood how to turn the market into willing participants to hype the brand. Though the taste of the drink was not considered good, consumers were hooked to it: To them it was not a drink; rather, it was a way of life. A major reason for the market’s passion for Red Bull was the company’s lack of aggressive in-your-face push tactics, price-offs, and instant ubiquity. Red Bull’s marketing was designed for the subconscious.
The term “Cult branding” was coined by Matthew W Ragas and Bolivar J Bueno in their book The Power of Cult Branding.
Let us contemplate on the question -Do cult brands take birth or do they acquire the status?
The "why" of cult brands can be attributed to studies of subcultures of consumption and brand community, where there is the recognition of the social networks that form around the consumption experience. Here we mean to find to why brands become or create cults. Why do people love this brand? Why are they so loyal to it? What does this brand mean to them? At this stage a few borrowed insights from human psychology helps one understand this better.
As Maslow notes time and again in his work, "Man is a perpetually wanting animal." his Hierarchy of Human Needs and concepts like self-actualization are key to understanding why consumers consistently choose one brand over another and enjoy such strong relationships with them.
So, why is fulfilling higher level needs so integral to building strong customer loyalty? What's the connection? The answer is, higher level needs influence future human behaviour much greater than lower level needs. It is the brands that can fulfill human needs on the higher levels of the hierarchy that become irreplaceable in the mind of the consumer.
How Cult Brand form over a period time
The opportunities that globalization provided for scale-driven brands themselves have brought in a new phenomenon supporting the deliberately and decidedly obscure brand, recognized and demanded by those “in the know”, ignored by everyone else. They are inspired, governed and driven by those who have made the conscious choice to build their business not on traditional marketing, but on fanatical loyalty.
Advertising and promotional strategies adopted for the Beetle brand in the US to make it such a success. Shaped like a beetle (bug), the car was not attractive to the eye. Yet, during the 1960s, the car’s inexpensive, safe and reliable image so endeared it to consumers that Life magazine referred to it as “a member of the family that just happens to live in the garage”. However, even Beetle had its share of misfortune, due to which Volkswagen was forced to stop the production of Beetles worldwide in 1979. In March 1998, the New Beetle was launched. The re-launch was a grand success; there were large waiting lists for the New Beetle and customers were reportedly even ready to wait for months to get delivery of their Beetle. More significantly, the New Beetle succeeded in attracting the younger generation as well.
Where can Cult Brands and communities exist?
Great brands harness the power of the brand community to cultivate undying customer loyalty.
Brand Communities can exist in a fully virtual space as well.
e.g. Wordpress.com, Ebay, Amazon.com
Members can feel a part of the community without ever having contact with others -either in person or online. Such cases suggest that the brand communities exist in the mind of the individual. Here the sense of belongingness can transcend both the physical as well as the virtual space. And this called a psychological brand community. Through this emotional connection to the brand consumers can feel part of the community without ever meeting another member in person or online. In short, Brand communities are both social and psychological.
To brands communities mean 5 % increase in customer loyalty which can almost double the profitability!
Are Cult brands deliberate about creating communities ?
“The Cult of Diet Coke” by Eric Gillin brings out the story of Diet Coke and its cult brand building strategy. Diet Coke, launched by Coke in July 1982 with a $100 million advertisement campaign, was served in 61 countries and within six years of its market entry. Even today, Diet coke remains the favourite drink of choice for legions of loyal addicts. People buy cases of Diet Coke as if there are no substitutes in the market for it, even ignoring the health risks of NutraSweet.
There have always been cult brands, mostly smaller labels unknown to the masses. But these days, building cults or at least strong communities, is a widespread strategy. No wonder companies that are able to instil a sense of ownership in near-fanatical customers showed the biggest gains in our fourth annual ranking of the 100 most valuable global brands
Customers create communities on the own, but there are steps the brands can take to increase the likelihood http://www.brandxpress.net/2009/05/how-to-create-a-cult-brand/.
o Determine how your customers are emotionally connected to your brand.
o Determine what your brand symbolises in the minds of your best customers.
o Support the community so that it reinforces the psychological attraction customers have towards your brand.
o Wherever possible create a space where your customers can meet and interact with one another-either in person or online.
o Sponsor social events that reflect your brands mission
o Set up conditions for a fun playful environment where friendships can be made.
o The stronger the bond members have to one another the stronger the bond members will have with your brand.
o Don’t control the community, instead participate as a co creator.
Cultrepreneurs : next breed of branders
Power of brands in the time of the ‘brandemic’ is speculated to be phenomenal and what is to witness will be the massive spread of brands, in the era of globalization. Mega brands have found ways to speak to the hopes, aspirations, ego, instinctual collectiveness and also comfort, reassure and define their consumers. The opportunities that globalization provided for scale-driven brands themselves have brought in a new phenomenon supporting the deliberately and decidedly obscure brand, recognized and demanded by those “in the know”, ignored by everyone else. They are inspired, governed and driven by those who have made the conscious choice to build their business not on traditional marketing, but on fanatical loyalty. Brand experts and theorists believe that the next breed of brands will come from them, the cultrepreneurs - entrepreneurs building highly profitable cults.

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