Harley may be an extreme example. They have clubs, activities and long distance rides. But Harley also spawned a real life line of accessories that went beyond the bad-boy biker image.
Saturn cars in its heyday (before the corporate types ruined the brand) had a cult of loyal customers who actually traveled to Spring Hill Tennessee (often as part of a vacation) to revel in the Saturn experience.
When I was in college near Chicago, Coors was a cult product. Coors wasn't distributed in the Chicago area and students coming back to campus from the Rockies after break would always bring Coors back with them ... and it was always greeted with appropriate awe.
Apple is the latest cult brand ... though it is much bigger than any of those other examples. Cultists camp out to be first in line for a new Apple product.
What does it take to bring a brand to cult status? Looking at just these few examples, there is no one single successful strategy.
Harley caters to a unique psychographic group. They became a tribe ... and Harley is their idol. It is the brand that identifies them as part of the tribe.
Saturn created an off-beat brand: A different kind of car from a different kind of car company. The brand positioning set Saturn apart from other car brands and created a reason for Saturn owners to bond with the company.
Coors enjoyed the classic condition of a well crafted product that was hard to get. It's limited distribution made it a sought-after brand.
Apple built its cult around the image and reputation of its founder ... and the very real innovation and iconoclastic design it built into Apple products.
If there's a common thread, building a cult brand means giving a well-defined set of customers reasons to rally together with the brand acting as the glue.
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