The power of cult branding

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: “By the power vested in me, I hereby pronounce you m’bike and rider. You shall, through rough weather and calm, rain and storm be committed to each other, till destiny do you apart…”

This is a scene enacted in the dreams of millions of Harley-Davidson owners, arguably the most acknow-ledged global symbol of a cult brand. The inevitable question is: what exactly is a cult brand and how does it come into existence?

A cult brand has an unheralded birth and starts occupying a niche area, almost unseen by the wider consuming class. The brands’ appearance is “awkward” and they have a tendency to “stick out” when benchmarked against mainline ones.

Nevertheless, each potential cult brand is undoubtedly a “wow” product and tends to be inclusive. And this is what propels this boorish-looking product to be adopted by a small group of customers, who work like messiahs in creating a buzz around it, leading to its acceptance by a larger group of people. Over a period of time, such customers—who may be anywhere between eight to 80 years of age—proclaim themselves to be community members and the “discomfited” product gains reputation as a cult brand.

However, as the saying goes, success has misfortune built into it. There are myriad cult brands that gain such great popularity that they escape the clutches of cult members and become what is known as mass brands. Amitabh Bachchan’s journey in the tinsel town would mirror this phenomenon.

It is heartening to discover that cult brands do not require monumental marketing spends. It is estimated that 50% of the business of a cult brand comes from its “community” members and an additional 20% from the buzz created by the proselytiser—community members who will chat up their buddies. Since buzz works for a cult brand, the marketing strategy is shrewdly aimed at perpetuating the buzz among community members who, on their own volition, take on the onus of building the brand.

A prime example of this is the Har-ley-Davidson whose community members have come to together to form the Harley Owners Group (HOG), which boasts of over a million members. HOG organises training courses, rides, social events and charity fund-raisers resulting in stronger loyalty among HOG members besides attracting newer members to its fold.