Cult Brand Secrets

Scott O'Neil is a thought leader, and a first time author who had recently released his new book, “Be Where Your Feet Are”. His book is refreshingly candid and vulnerable, and very timely given all the things we learned during the pandemic about how emotional intelligence is trumping mental intelligence, especially in regards to what people want most in their leaders.

Scott provides a vivid reminder of how short and unpredictable life is, so we need to be super intentional about how we spend our time and who we spend it with.

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Benevity started in 2008 as a micro-donation platform to help different company’s employees donate to causes they believe in, and possibly enjoy a company match of some sort; but Benevity really hit their stride in 2013 when Nike chose them as their enterprise CSR solution. With that iconic client and case study under their belt; Benevity went on to win hundreds of new clients, go global with European operations, and hire over 1000 employees.

Sona Khosla, Benevity’s Chief Impact Officer, shares personal stories about her life, and reminds us that our careers and our companies should be about so much more than the pursuit of profit.

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What drives culture? We think it’s when a moment becomes a movement. Traditionally, a select few have defined culture. But not anymore. Enter TikTok. A platform that empowers everyone to become a creator, where anyone can contribute their voice and be heard. Where content becomes joyful collaboration and a moment inspires a movement.

In this episode of Cult Brand Secrets: Khartoon Wiess, TikTok’s Global Head of Agency & Accounts shares insight into how and why TikTok has become the fastest-growing social media platform on the internet.

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Brian Whipple’s leadership skills, and communication skills, and business acumen, are off the charts. His company, Accenture Interactive, produces customer experiences for the world’s biggest and best brands. He showcases an admirable ability to come up with big, bold ideas, and also to expertly execute and bring those ideas to life in compelling ways.

Brian reminds us that all business is personal, and our human interactions matter as much as our intelligence, or our creative ideas, our grit, or our work ethic.

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NOBULL was founded in 2014, and they are already extremely successful. They are punching well above their weight, and a big reason for that is what CMO Todd Meleney will share about how culture fuels growth and how they don’t accept that growth or success creates culture. 

NOBULL's brand and marketing strategy masterfully employs multiple cult brand principles, and they have fully embraced an insurgent mentality that is so vital when taking on incumbents as capable as Nike, Adidas and Under Armor.

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The Kraken were not honored because of their performance on the ice. In many ways we are really honoring the city of Seattle because of how well that town rallied to qualify for a NHL franchise; how well they created a brand, an arena, and a team that has perfected the playbook for how to launch a new club in a new location. We’ve seen a lot of examples of how these haven’t always gone well. But the Kraken's entry into Seattle is best in class. 

Todd Humphey is such a great ambassador for their brand. He’s their SVP of Digital Innovation and Fan Experience. True cult brand leaders worry less about buying impressions and worry more about making impressions. Todd embodies that sentiment perfectly.

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Call of Duty is more than a great game, it's also a genre. It’s a pioneer for e-sports. It’s a movement in mobile gaming. It’s pushing so many boundaries, and redefining what it even means to be a game. The best players in the space are now considered athletes, and entertainers, and celebrities, not just gamers.

Johanna Ferris is the GM of Call of Duty at Activision. Her presentation from the 2022 Gathering is so engaging. So immersive. So interactive. So action packed. She refuses to settle for safe or the status quo, and reminds us we are truly fortunate to be able to work in a free country, to pursue our professional dreams, and to be paid to do work that we love.

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Chobani is a remarkable company. They started in 2005 and by 2010 were over a $1Billion in sales and the #1 seller of greek yogurt in North America. Their success bred a bunch of copycats, but this company continues to evolve and grow and lead by example of what a purpose driven, culture-first company can accomplish.

Chief Marketing and Category Officer Meredith Madden shares Chobani’s evolution from being a yogurt company to becoming a food company; and describes the fine line between being entrepreneurial and exploring new opportunities; and being too aggressive, diluting vital resources, and failing because you tried to do too much too soon. It’s tricky, but Chobani threads that needle brilliantly.

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DoorDash’s noble brand purpose is providing access and empowering local communities. This company is so much more than a delivery business. They are diving head first into social issues, and leading by example that neutrality is no longer a safe haven for brands. Brands need demonstrable points of view on a variety of topics and issues affecting their products, services, employees, customers and communities.

Our front line workers like nurses and doctors got a lot of credit - rightfully so - during the pandemic, but delivery drivers and DoorDash did so much to keep people fed, and the economy on course. The DoorDash leadership team had to make tough choices and big bets over the past 24 months when the pandemic and varying regulations kept fluctuating, and Kofi Amoo-Gottfried's grace under pressure was instrumental in helping so many millions of families, business owners and drivers enjoy a meal and earn some money.

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Herschel has primarily been a manufacturer and wholesaler selling through other retail outlets in over 40 countries, but in 2018 they opened their first store in Vancouver and have become a formidable retailer themselves. They now have locations in Hong Kong and Dubai and Paris and Slate magazine described the brand as "a global phenomenon, glimpsed wherever hipsters dare to tread.”

Co-founder Lyndon Cormack’s remarks should give every aspiring entrepreneur hope. While he and his brother had some relevant experience, they mostly had a dream and an unwavering ability to overcome obstacles and lack of information to eventually create a massive success story in under a decade. Theirs is a story of hope, and stick-to-it-ness and a reminder that most successful people aren’t born, they are made through daily decisions and courage and determination.

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