The Power of Cult Branding: How 9 Magnetic Brands Turned Customers into Loyal Followers (and Yours Can, Too!) [Hardcover]

Matthew W. Ragas (Author), Bolivar J. Bueno (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 24, 2002

Like religious cults that can attract thousands of devoted disciples, is it possible for company brands to build legions of loyal followers? In a marketer's dream come true, can certain products—with the right combination of positioning and branding—take on magnetic characteristics and galvanize die-hard customers who become walking, talking viral marketers? Can your company harness the power of cult branding without blowing a fortune on advertising?
According to authors Matthew W. Ragas and Bolivar J. Bueno the answer is yes. In fact, you need not look much farther than a Harley-Davidson rally, a Star Trek convention, or a Jimmy Buffett concert to see the cult branding phenomenon at work: thousands of passionate, faithful fans spreading the good word and spending lots of money. Not all brands have the dash of edginess, the devoted fan base, or the niche positioning to be cult brands. But those that do tend to share similar characteristics that make them successful, what the authors call the Seven Golden Rules of Cult Branding. Through meticulous research and scores of interviews Ragas and Bueno have uncovered the remarkable and oft-untold stories behind nine very successful cult brands:
·Star Trek
·Harley-Davidson
·Oprah Winfrey
·World Wrestling Entertainment (formerly WWF)
·Apple
·Volkswagen Beetle
·Jimmy Buffett
·Vans Shoes
·Linux
These nine brands follow the Seven Golden Rules and have millions of fans and billions of dollars in revenue to show for it. Now you can learn first hand what these special brands did to set themselves apart and how to apply the Seven Golden Rules to your own marketing strategies.
Written for advertisers, marketers, sales executives, and business owners who want to thrive in an increasingly competitive marketplace, The Power of Cult Branding is the ultimate guide to creating a loyal core of repeat customers and winning the positioning battle.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for The Power of Cult Branding:
"Who wants a cult brand? After reading The Power of Cult Branding, you are going to want to create one as soon as possible. The logic, the strategies, and the tactics are spelled out for you in comprehensive detail." —Al Ries, author of The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding and chairman, Ries & Ries Inc.
"Ragas and Bueno have not only demystified branding in their brilliant book but also revealed the heart of how to do it with aplomb. And, at the same time, it's fun to read." —Jay Conrad Levinson, author of the Guerrilla Marketing series
"Cult brands, while not easy to create, are among the most powerful. This book will show the way." —Jack Trout, coauthor of Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind and president, Trout & Partners Ltd.
"The most insightful look at brand positioning since The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing." —Roy H. Williams, coauthor of The Wizard of Ads series
"Understanding the creation and nourishment of great brands is critical to marketers. This book provides a powerful insight into that understanding." — Jeffrey J. Fox, author of How to Become a Rainmaker and How to Become CEO
"An essential guide for marketing in the 21st century." —Alan M. Meckler, chairman and CEO, Jupitermedia Corporation
"Ragas and Bueno teach us the real principles of creating a symbiotic loyalty between our customers and our brand. We need to make our customers partners." —Phil Leigh, vice president of digital media research, Raymond James & Associates
"A masterfully instructive book on what it really takes to build a powerful brand today. It should be required reading for students at the country's top business schools. I recommend it wholeheartedly to entrepreneurs, executives, visionaries, and managers, who should not just read it, but also live by it!" —Edward P. "Ned" Grace III, managing director, Grace Venture Partners

From the Inside Flap

Like religious cults that can attract thousands of devoted disciples, is it possible for company brands to build legions of loyal followers? In a marketer's dream come true, can certain products?with the right combination of positioning and branding?take on magnetic characteristics and galvanize die-hard customers who become walking, talking viral marketers? Can your company harness the power of cult branding without blowing a fortune on advertising?
According to authors Matthew W. Ragas and Bolivar J. Bueno the answer is yes. In fact, you need not look much farther than a Harley-Davidson rally, a Star Trek convention, or a Jimmy Buffett concert to see the cult branding phenomenon at work: thousands of passionate, faithful fans spreading the good word and spending lots of money. Not all brands have the dash of edginess, the devoted fan base, or the niche positioning to be cult brands. But those that do tend to share similar characteristics that make them successful, what the authors call the Seven Golden Rules of Cult Branding. Through meticulous research and scores of interviews Ragas and Bueno have uncovered the remarkable and oft-untold stories behind nine very successful cult brands:
·Star Trek
·Harley-Davidson
·Oprah Winfrey
·World Wrestling Entertainment (formerly WWF)
·Apple
·Volkswagen Beetle
·Jimmy Buffett
·Vans Shoes
·Linux
These nine brands follow the Seven Golden Rules and have millions of fans and billions of dollars in revenue to show for it. Now you can learn first hand what these special brands did to set themselves apart and how to apply the Seven Golden Rules to your own marketing strategies.
Written for advertisers, marketers, sales executives, and business owners who want to thrive in an increasingly competitive marketplace, The Power of Cult Branding is the ultimate guide to creating a loyal core of repeat customers and winning the positioning battle.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Prima Venture; 1 edition (September 24, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761536949
• ISBN-13: 978-0761536949
• Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 0.9 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #904,142 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I want to be the first kid on my block to own a Cult Brand, September 29, 2002

By 

Frank Franklin - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Power of Cult Branding: How 9 Magnetic Brands Turned Customers into Loyal Followers (and Yours Can, Too!) (Hardcover)

I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a deep love of their life's work -- like I do -- who yearns to see it succeed beyond their wildest expectations.

Who hasn't wanted to be the next Apple, Oprah, Harley or WWF? How is such a phenomenon even accomplished? This book teaches you exactly how it's done, but it doesn't stop there: it gives you the tools necessary to do it, all neatly wrapped inside of Seven Golden Rules, that spell out EXACTLY how to achieve converting customers into loyal followers who evangelize on a company's behalf. After reading this book, I FINALLY know how to achieve this!

Now I know what it takes to convert them from simple customers into passionate fans who spread the good word and spend lots of money. The Power of Cult Branding offers a clear road map, peppered with real-life examples of how others have accomplished building Cult Brands. It's a doable and reproducible process. Ragas and Bueno have dispelled all the mystery on how any business - no matter what size, can achieve its ultimate dream.

The conclusion is my favorite because it takes you by the hand and walks you step by step through CUSTOMIZING the Seven Golden Rules so it's relevant to your situation. This chapter alone is more than worth the price of the book.

I bought this book last Tuesday and I'm on the second pass ... it's already annotated with ideas on how I can apply the Seven Golden Rules to my own company's services. This book is going straight into my "frequently referred to" list of books.

Buy it, you will not be disappointed.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book on branding, March 12, 2003

By 

Dave Lakhani (Boise, ID United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Power of Cult Branding: How 9 Magnetic Brands Turned Customers into Loyal Followers (and Yours Can, Too!) (Hardcover)

Written in clear, no nonsense words that make you think about the basics of branding and what it should accomplish. Exceptional at showing how even the smallest company can create a cult brand. Should be required reading for every serious marketer.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very happy reader!, October 17, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Power of Cult Branding: How 9 Magnetic Brands Turned Customers into Loyal Followers (and Yours Can, Too!) (Hardcover)

Whether you're a fan of one of Ragas & Bueno's "cult brands," or a business owner who wants to build his/her own cult brand, this is a fun read, chock full of information. These two guys have skipped the filler and gotten right down to the "how to" of establishing a brand with a legion of followers. This is down to earth advice that's actually doable, no matter what the size of your business. As a reader who works in retail and who is a Jimmy Buffett fan (he's one of the cult brands), I couldn't put this book down, and found lots of pages to mark for future reference. Can't wait to see what these two tackle next!