The Culting of Brands by Douglas Atkin

The term "Cult" conjures up images of Jim Jones and mass suicide or Charles Manson and murder but the term has been abused. Apple, Saturn, and other companies have cult followings. For that matter, when I was a teenager Ford and Chevy had cult-like followings.

It turns out that once you get past the C-word connotation this is a very useful concept and technique. It is not the least bit deceptive or dogmatic. It really builds on some very sound marketing concepts:

• Listen to your customers.
• Connect your customers.
• Respond to your customers.

It turns out that if you do these things your customers will sell your products in ways that you never can. Atkin explains how we can use this behavior to build brand loyalty and strong sales.