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What Rockets a Brand into Cult Following Status?
Para. 1-3» 由《芭比》引发的热潮引出对狂热品牌的讨论，概述品牌成功的要素
Para. 4-5» 举苹果为例，介绍粉丝对苹果的狂热追捧
Para. 6-7» 解释狂热品牌能够与消费者的生活方式紧密结合，成为身份的象征，并举哈雷戴维森为例
Para. 8-10» 指出狂热品牌能够给予消费者“自我提升”的承诺，并降低选择负担
Para. 11-12» 指出狂热品牌能够构建忠实的粉丝社区，打造口碑，进一步吸引更多粉丝
Para. 13» 总结全文，建议品牌营销不应仅限于推销产品，而是要推广一种生活方式
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[1]Director Greta Gerwig’s Barbie film has surpassed the $1bn (£790bn) mark at the global box office. Yet fans aren’t just lining up for tickets, they’re also clamouring for “Barbiecore” fashion, air travel bearing the Barbie logo and even Barbie-themed coffins.
[2]That’s just a fraction of the pink-hued consumption happening across market sectors. Consumers were always loyal to the Barbie brand, but Gerwig’s film has seemingly kicked the extreme fandom into a higher gear – even six decades after the toy’s inception.
[3]So, what rockets a brand – or even a person – into this venerated and highly coveted cult status with intense staying power? Experts say it’s a mix of strategic marketing, intimate consumer messaging and some right-place-right-time magic.
[4]Among the brands with the most recognisable cult followings is Apple, with fans who have lauded the company since its founding in the 1970s. Rhea Freeman, a UK-based PR adviser, is a self-proclaimed member of the Apple cult. “I am committed to the brand and don’t see a time when I would buy a non-Apple computer or phone or tablet,” says Freeman.
[5]Freeman maintains her appreciation for Apple products goes far beyond product affinity – it’s an integral part of her lifestyle. “Every aspect of it has been well thought through to bring delight to the purchaser from start to use, to inspire loyalty, to create that cult following. And it’s done in a seemingly effortless way.”
[6]Yet Susan Fournier, the Allen Questrom Professor and Dean at Boston University’s Questrom School of Business, says there’s nothing effortless about it. Fournier explains cult brands carefully tap into the consumer psyche to become closely intertwined with fans’ lifestyles, adding that these companies don’t just sell products – they tap into a “resonant cultural theme”.
[7]She cites American motorcycle manufacturer Harley-Davidson as an enduring example, noting the brand goes beyond an “isolated sliver of consumer behaviour” to market a distinct lifestyle. “You see people riding with friends, you see the emergence of [branded] clothing – it becomes how you look, who you hang out with, what you believe in,” she says.
[8]US-based author and podcaster Amanda Montell argues cult brands go beyond the lifestyle realm, permeating consumers’ innate sense of self. Montell is the author of Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism, which explores how language influences cult activity in and out of the consumer realm. She explains cult brands offer “identity benefits”, which assert a sense of community and meaning and provide “a transcendent promise” beyond the product itself.
[9]“Millennial [and Gen Z] consumers in particular are the least brand-loyal of any generation of consumer,” says Montell, explaining that younger consumers are quick to sniff out “marketing malarkey”. She notes that, to strike gold with those more sceptical buyers, brands must promise something more: “That by affiliating with, for example, this makeup line or even just this single makeup product, you will be a better you.”
[10]Montell adds that this promise acts as a balm in a labyrinthine realm of consumer choice. “On social media, we’re able to see infinite options of where our life could go,” she says, arguing that the seemingly endless choices create an overwhelming chooser’s paradox. “When a brand enters the picture and offers a template for who you should be and what choices you should make, that feels really satisfying and nurturing.”
[11]Claudio Alvarez, an assistant professor of marketing at Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business, says that certain cult brands feel “almost like being with a friend”. He adds, “When a community of devoted consumers form around a brand, becoming a part of this community adds an extra layer of connection and loyalty.”
[12]In market terms, that warm, fuzzy feeling can translate to staying power. “People want to share their love of the brand with other members of the community, generating word-of-mouth and creating online content related to the brand,” says Alvarez. “They want more people to know and like the brand – to become part of the community.”
[13]In an economy where consumer choice can seem more than overwhelming, achieving cult status may be one a of brand’s few chances at lasting success – be it toys, technology or motorcycles. When even the most mundane products offer an identity promise, brands must transcend the noise and find ways to meaningfully connect with an increasingly sceptical consumer base. Now, it seems, a marketing plan needn’t only sell a product – the best ones, say experts, tout a lifestyle, complete with promises of community and even self-improvement.
本文节选自：BBC
原文标题：What Rockets a Brand into Cult Following Status?
发布日期：2023.8.16
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