When you think of cult brands, what names jump into your mind? Most people respond with legendary names such as Harley Davidson and Royal Enfield (distinctive motorbikes), Ferrari and Lamborghini (very expensive fast cars), Bose sound systems and Hasselblad cameras (high priced but highly prized accessories). These are brands that evoke strong and strange passions in their consumers, who act virtually like members of cults. They display very high loyalty to the brand, belong to small closed groups who swear by the brand, and they also evangelise the brand at every possible forum.

Those are the best kind of consumers that any brand can hope for. Yet, if you scan all the names mentioned above, you will note that these are relatively niche brands. They may sell thousands of units each year, but certainly not millions. Does this mean that cult brands are necessarily small and restricted in their magnetic appeal? Because of their sharp and distinctive propositions, these brands go deep into the minds and hearts of their highly engaged consumers, but can they ever become as broad and large as mainstream brands?

In searching for the answers to these questions, I discovered a powerful emerging phenomenon, which I have chosen to call “masscult” brands. These offerings, which have all the flavour of cult brands yet have successfully positioned themselves in the mass market, are attracting millions of mainstream consumers today. They are highly profitable, indeed many times more profitable than the niche cult brands named above – because their deep cult power (which drives strong sustained pricing power and loyalty) is multiplied manifold by their wide mass appeal (which drives large volumes).

Let me illustrate this phenomenon with a few brands. Leading the masscult pack is Apple. Today, with its distinctive iPhones and iPads, Apple is a cult that masses of consumers across the world belong to, happily and by choice. The world is literally divided into Apple owners (who consider themselves the new-age elite) and non-owners (the rest of us). Apple owners are mostly very loyal to Apple, and they are even willing to readily tolerate the occasional arrogance or failures of the brand. When a new Apple iPhone is launched, it is virtually pounced upon by a huge early adopter set of nearly 10 million people, who are willing to wait in long queues and pay high premiums to own the product immediately – so can there be a better example of a masscult brand?

Then there is Land Rover. I recently had an opportunity to study this brand at close quarters, and what amazes me is the passion that millions of consumers have for Land Rover SUVs. In England, I met a lady who told me that her husband has an ongoing affair with Land Rover vehicles, was mad about them, and his life revolved around them. If you ever travel with a Land Rover owner, he will speak volumes about the brand, its mind-blowing off-road features, its proud Defender heritage, and why he has willingly paid a relatively high price to buy it. In several markets, consumers are also willing to wait long periods of time, patiently and happily, to obtain Land Rovers of their choice. The world’s largest economies, the US and China, are both in love with this masscult brand, and consequently lakhs of Land Rovers sell every year.

From the FMCG space, there is Dove. With its distinctive proposition of ‘Real Beauty’, and featuring real women in its advertisements, Dove appears to be fast emerging as a cult brand appealing to millions of women for whom the brand resonates perfectly with who they are, and what they feel. Last year, when Dove launched a new campaign called ‘Show us your Skin’ and asked women to participate, it opened the floodgates and the response was phenomenal. And of course, there is no other brand in its category with such strong and distinctive cult-like appeal.

Other brands which have attained masscult or near masscult status include Rayban Aviators (sunglasses), Fastrack (watches and accessories), New Balance (shoes), Starbucks (cafes), Thums Up (carbonated soft drinks), Body Shop (cosmetics) and Virgin (several categories).

So, what goes into the making of a masscult brand? Here are some pointers that marketers should think about.

Belonging, and a defining perspective

Cults are fundamentally about belonging to a lifestyle, and about strong beliefs. Therefore, a masscult brand has to similarly help its consumers experience such belongingness. The brand also has to propagate a defining belief or point of view that inspires not just a few, but millions of consumers. Only then will people who believe in these values become fanatical buyers and proponents of the brand. For instance, Body Shop is all about belonging to a lifestyle that protects the planet, and hence it has consistently articulated a sharp point of view against animal testing, or in favour of ethical sourcing of all its products. This has the potential to build a cult-like following amongst huge numbers of people who passionately subscribe to these points of view, and want to belong to an organisation which propagates them. In many instances, the founders or CEOs of these brands act virtually like leaders of cults in articulating these defining views – witness the case of Anita Roddick, founder of Body Shop.

Bold and Edgy proposition

Most masscult brands are built around a bold and edgy proposition that is unlikely to have universal appeal. While the brand will therefore have very strong positive appeal to a large group of people who love what it stands for, it will also alienate an equally large number of people – because, by definition, a bold and edgy idea is likely to make many members of the conservative population squirm with discomfort. Masscult brands take this in their stride, and indeed, they recognise that being bold and edgy is the only surefire way to building a cult-like following, even if it means alienating the rest. Take for example, Fastrack’s philosophy of ‘Move On’, which is all about the cool and carefree attitude of Indian urban youth, even if it means moving on from one partner (of the opposite sex, or even the same sex) to the next without batting an eyelid – a bold position for India. There are many who love and aspire to such a lifestyle, and there are others (generally, a more conservative or hypocritical set) who find the idea offensive. Fastrack focuses on winning the hearts of the former segment, and does not care too much for the latter. And by doing so, it becomes a masscult brand.

Affordable

Iconic cult brands such as Harley Davidson motorbikes or Hasselblad cameras are very expensive, which greatly limits their appeal. On the other hand, masscult brands do everything possible to promote affordability of their products, even while the brand espouses a defining viewpoint and talks a bold, edgy language. Of course, they charge a price premium (which is the cost of the entry ticket to the cult), but this is not so high as to be forbidding for mainstream consumers. Most masscult brands, therefore, tend to focus on upper middle class consumers, who have adequate discretionary income to easily afford some “masscult premium”, and yet their large numbers have the potential to generate huge scale. The best example of this is Apple, which markets cool, edgy, distinctive products, is often regarded as an arrogant brand, has price tags well ahead of other brands in its categories, and yet makes itself affordable to millions of consumers. That combination is a simply unbeatable formula for a masscult brand.

In conclusion, here is a question I want to leave marketers with: Why would you want to market just a mainstream brand, when, with some sharp focus and effort, you can create a masscult brand, which is so much more powerful, desirable and profitable? So put on your thinking caps, and search hard for what you should do to add the cult appeal to your brand.

Harish Bhat is Managing Director and CEO of Tata Global Beverages, and author of Tata Log: Eight Modern Stories from a Timeless Institution. These are his personal views. He can be reached at bhatharish@hotmail.com

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