You Are A Cult
I've been reading The Culting of Brands by Douglas Atkins. It has definately been one of the most pivotal reads in my personal experience as a marketer, as a student, and as an entrepreneur.
It discusses the parallel nature of 'branding' and 'cults' in history, going back thousands of years. Something that really stuck with me is the fact that religion, in all of its forms, are cults. Communities are cults, organizations are cults, a blog is a cult, a person can be a cult, a brand name is a cult.
When we think of cults, rarely do we relate Christianity, Apple Computers, or Saturn owners to the definition. We tend to think of a small, radical, anarchist-type group huddled together in a basement somewhere, chanting with lit candles. Even though organizations that fit this mould exist, a "cult" is not limited to this connotation. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown actually touches on this topic - about how Christianity suppressed certain information and swelled reality in order to fit their ideologies (aka organizational sentiments).
The Culting of Brands takes you through some of the best corporate cult brands, and often holds them up against religious structures as being the benchmark of branding.
I suggest this book to anyone in marketing, or anyone who wishes to create solid brand loyalty.
It discusses the parallel nature of 'branding' and 'cults' in history, going back thousands of years. Something that really stuck with me is the fact that religion, in all of its forms, are cults. Communities are cults, organizations are cults, a blog is a cult, a person can be a cult, a brand name is a cult.
When we think of cults, rarely do we relate Christianity, Apple Computers, or Saturn owners to the definition. We tend to think of a small, radical, anarchist-type group huddled together in a basement somewhere, chanting with lit candles. Even though organizations that fit this mould exist, a "cult" is not limited to this connotation. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown actually touches on this topic - about how Christianity suppressed certain information and swelled reality in order to fit their ideologies (aka organizational sentiments).
The Culting of Brands takes you through some of the best corporate cult brands, and often holds them up against religious structures as being the benchmark of branding.
I suggest this book to anyone in marketing, or anyone who wishes to create solid brand loyalty.
Keep Bizzy!
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"A great brand is a story that’s never completely told"
Scott Bedbury/Nike, Starbucks
posted by MissBiz | 3:18 PM
2 Comments:
Looking to get this book. Is it worth it?
It really is. It parallel's actual cult structures with corporate branding strategies. If you're into branding and marketing, or want to learn how to build your own "cult" brand, then I highly recommend it. It's an easy read as well.
:)
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