Cult? Did You Say Cult?

Every person on earth belongs to several cults.

Calm down. I’m not talking about what you think I’m talking about.

I’ll start at the beginning.

Cult: any group of people who share a devotion to an idea, activity, or identity.

Cults become toxic and dangerous 

only when the devotion of the group is 

(1.) to a specific individual,

(2.) focused on the destruction of an enemy.

Culture: patterns of human activity and the symbolic structures that give those activities significance, importance, and meaning.

Cultivation: to till or refine. Seeds are more likely to grow and produce a harvest when you till the soil to soften and refine it.

Cult Brands: Apple, Lululemon, Tesla, Harley Davidson, Starbucks, Nike, and Star Trek are notable examples of brands that have become associated with an idea, activity, or identity.

Cult brands make a lot of money.

Do you want to create a cult brand? I’ve been telling you how to do it for 30 years, but I’ll say it one more time for those of you who are new:

“Win the heart, and the mind will follow. The mind will always find logic to justify what the heart has already decided.”

To build a cult brand, all we need to do is abbreviate those earlier definitions and tilt them slightly toward advertising.

Cultivation: to plant the seeds of an ideology by allowing potential customers to perceive and conclude that you believe and value exactly what they believe and value.

Culture: the recurrent activities of a self-selected group.

Cult: a group of people who are strongly attracted to a brand.

The best storytelling ads gently cultivate the mind, loosening the soil of public consciousness so that you might sow the seed-thoughts that will grow into profitable persuasion, causing your brand to be the one people think of immediately – and feel the best about – when they need what you sell.

These seed-thoughts are what my partners and I call brandable chunks, a collection of carefully crafted signature phrases that are unique to your brand. Like all seeds, these brandable chunks must be sown in abundance if you hope for a bountiful harvest.

The seed-thoughts contained in these brandable chunks will germinate – and magnetic connection will occur – when a person perceives that you believe what they believe. When your brand stands for something that people believe in, you have the opportunity to become a cult brand.

When this cultivation and germination of your seed-thoughts has occurred, the next step is for your customer to be introduced to your culture.

Uh-oh. I just heard someone think, “I’m not affected by advertising, so I’m not in a cult of any kind.” Friend, I know you don’t want to hear this, but you’re a card-carrying member of the “Don’t Label Me” cult. I could tell you several interesting things about your little group, but that would not be a friendly thing to do, so I won’t.

Instead, I will tell you about a cult I joined in 1972.

“Roses for the Living” is the name of the cult my mother started completely by accident. I was there when it happened.

It was 1972. We were struggling financially due to my father having fled the scene three years earlier. My mother had found a job, worked hard, kept a roof over our heads and food in our mouths for three long years before she finally had a few dollars she could spend on herself.

She spent those dollars taking a friend with her on a 2-day trip to Taos, New Mexico.

When I asked her why she did it, she said,

“People will take time off work, buy a plane ticket and fly across the country to lay a dozen roses on the grave of a friend who has died.”

“But their friend won’t be able to enjoy those flowers, or have a nice dinner with them, or laugh and talk with them about whatever is on their mind. So I have decided that I will not attend the funerals of my friends.”

“Instead, I will take time off work, and buy plane tickets, and fly across the country to visit the people I love while we can still do things together. I believe roses are for the living.”

I have watched my mother buy countless plane tickets since that day in 1972 when she told me what she believed and what she valued. What my mother got in return for her time, her energy, and her money was a lifetime of marvelous adventures, deep friendships, and happy memories.

Like my mom, I believe roses are for the living. If you believe it, too, I have good news for you. The culture of our “Roses for the Living” cult – the recurrent activities of our self-selected little group – is that we make the time and find the money to create new memories with old friends. Other than that, there is nothing to buy, no one to notify, no forms to fill out, nothing else at all that you need to do.

1. Just Stop.

2. Call your friend.

3. Tell them you are coming for a visit.

4. Make your travel arrangements.

And remember to take some pictures, okay?

Roy H. Williams

What can business owners learn from America’s Michelin Star and James Beard award-winning chefs? David Page, creator of the mega-hit Food Network show Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, has interviewed numerous world-class chefs including Dan Barber, Nancy Silverton, Jonathan Waxman, and Michael Stern for his new podcast that launches on August 27th. David says these culinary maestros not only know how to dazzle the palate, but they have a recipe for business success, as well! According to the super-chefs, the ingredients that allow a business to thrive are pretty much the same regardless of the product or service you sell. Enjoy this tasty episode at MondayMorningRadio.com.