16 Brands That Have Fanatical Cult Followings

Cult branding isn't easy to do. It's not enough to pump a bunch of money into hyping a product and hope that people adopt it as a way of life.

In order to achieve that special connection with consumers, the brand has to have a unique appeal and be created at a grassroots level.

It has to be something that people want to be a part of, so that they have that sense of both identity and belonging. It's our nature to want to be part of a community of people with similar interests.

And so, a culture is created around the brand based on the personality of a small, niche group. From there, they spread the gospel and recruit more followers.

Wegmans

FlickrWegmans, the regional supermarket chain, is a 90+ year-old family business that has been called "the most family-friendly supermarket in America." It consistently ranks high in customer satisfaction and has a rabid base of consumers across the mid-Atlantic.

On its website, Wegmans writes that in 2003, almost 5,800 loyal customers wrote "love letters" to the company, with almost half of the letters including pleas to build supermarkets in their communities. One letter included rewritten lyrics to "Yesterday" by the Beatles:

Yesterday,
A Wegmans store, it seemed so far away.
But a new one opened in Dulles today.
Now I will drive
Towards Wegmans' way.

Wegmans mania reached a new high when a group of musical theatre students in Massachusetts created an entire musical based on the brand. They rewrote popular Broadway songs in praise of the store.

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Lululemon

Lululemon, FlickrLululemon, creators of the preferred spandex of yoga enthusiasts and "cool moms" everywhere, laid the ground for its iconic lifestyle brand in Vancouver. Its first store was designed to be a hub devoted to "healthy living" where people could discuss their athletic endeavors and holistic practices, but ended up being too busy to do anything but sell its products.

Today, in addition to selling $98 yoga pants, Lululemon hosts yoga classes and designates store ambassadors who "embody the Lululemon lifestyle" (one question on the ambassador application asks "how does the lululemon manifesto speak to you?")

Linux

By litlnemo on FlickrIn the 1990s, Linux was the operating system that stuck with computer engineers. Early in the decade, they all used UNIX until 21-year-old college kid Linus Torvalds came up with Linux, touting it as an alternative.

What sets Linux apart from most cult brands is that not only did it breed evangelists, but it allowed those evangelists to directly affect the product and brand because it's open source.

It attracted much of the programming community, and as a collective, they created Tux the penguin, which has become quite an icon.

Zappos

By kedjadlen on FlickrDo you have narrow feet? Wide feet? Are you in the market for those amphibious running shoes, or vegan loafers? If you're searching for hard-to-come-by soles, you may catch the Zappos fever.

The online shoe and apparel retailer, whose motto is "delivering happiness," has amassed a devoted following of footwear fanatics since its founding. Zappos devotees are drawn to the store's seemingly limitless selection of shoes, customer service practices (they offer free shipping and a 365 day return policy), and slightly off-beat culture.

Surge

Wikimedia CommonsSurge, the Coca Cola-made soda modeled after a Norwegian soft drink, has maintained its following though the product has been off the market for ten years. In its short, six-year lifespan, Surge was able to win over the hearts and taste buds of action sports enthusiasts (think Mountain Dew's target audience).

Some loyalists are still actively campaigning for Coca Cola to have Surge make a comeback. "The Surge Movement: Dedicating to saving your favorite citrus soda,"  a Facebook group with over 6,000 members, urges members to call Coke's headquarters in support of the soft drink.

Savesurge.org has the same mission, and tells its members that "as long as their are people like us, independent bottlers, and even URGE in Norway - hope will not be lost" and Surge will return.

Mazda Miata

By Jasonb42882 on FlickrThe Mazda Miata, a small, two-door convertible, is pretty bare bones in terms of amenities. But the $25,000 roadster enjoys a true cult following.

A 2001 Forbes article shared an anecdote where Reverend James S. Massie, Jr. presided over the "wedding" of 250 devoted drivers and their beloved Miatas, where car-owners promised to "love, honor, clean and provide after-market accessories for their vehicles." At the end, Massie pronounced the duos "car and driver."

Today, it seems that the miniature Miata has maintained its allure. One website lists 77 Miata meetup clubs throughout the world, some with strict by-laws.

Vans

Vans markets itself as more than a company: it's a lifestyle. The action sports brand has proven itself to be a leader in skate and snowboarding culture that extends far beyond selling apparel.

Vans promotes events that include "Go Skateboarding Day" and sponsors its well-known "Warped Tour," an extreme sports and musical festival. The company is has enough confidence in its brand that it expects to rake in an additional $1 billion by 2016.

To underscore its commitment to the skating way of life, Vans is opening an enormous skateboarding complex in Huntington Beach, California that will include "a 14,000-square-foot skate park plaza, a 13,000-square-foot skate bowl and a 3,500-square-foot skate shop and concession stand."  This free public playground will be welcomed with open arms by Vans' Golden State fanbase.

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Yuengling

By gongus on FlickrCoors was the original cult beer, but mass distribution and company mergers resulted in its losing its cult luster. Long ago, Corona also had a close-knit, devoted following — one that couldn't be maintained as its popularity grew.

Now, Yuengling is filling the role. The Pennsylvania-brewed beer is part of the state's local culture, and though its now the second-largest brewer in the United States (that brews all of its beer domestically), it still has a ravenous following.

Yuengling's following is particularly evident in places where the beer hasn't been distributed yet. In 2011, a Northeast Ohio news station reported that when Yuengling began selling its iconic beverage in the area, some residents camped out at liquor stores in anticipation of its debut. One customer expressed his relief that he no longer needed to trek across the Ohio-Pennsylvania border to buy cases of his beloved brew.