Cult Brands

BusinessWeek has just published their annual ranking of the top 100 brands [PDF]. The criteria to make it into the list is quite heavy -- the top five brands are: Coca-Cola, Microsoft, IBM, GE and Intel. The companies that make up the list are all well known -- I would be surprised if you didn't recognize all of them. What gives a brand cult status? Loyalty -- loyalty that defies logic. Loyalty that enables a relationship between the brand and the customer -- customers have a personal identification with the brand -- so much so that they take ownership of the brand -- it doesn't just belong to the company, it also belongs to the customers -- it's a shared relationship with the brand -- it's an experience.