How Brands Become Cults: Lessons from Apple and Steve Jobs
- Ihor Saveliev
- Sep 7
- 5 min read
Updated: Sep 9
In the world of modern business, building a great product is no longer enough. Thousands of companies launch every year with well-designed offerings, competitive pricing, and sleek branding—yet most fade into obscurity. Why? Because products can be replicated. Features can be copied. Prices can always be undercut.
What can’t be duplicated so easily is belief.
This is the lesson Steve Jobs and Apple embedded into the DNA of their brand: people don’t simply buy products—they buy identities. They buy meaning. They buy belongings. Apple transformed from a computer company into a cultural movement, not because it had the fastest processors or the cheapest devices, but because it became a mirror for its audience’s aspirations.
At Bell&Rise, we study the intersection of design, storytelling, and psychology to help brands cross that invisible line: from commodity to cult. This post unpacks what it takes to build a brand people don’t just consume, but worship.
1. The Cult Framework: Beyond Products, Into Identity
Most marketing is transactional: you have a need, I have a solution, let’s trade. Cult brands operate differently. They anchor themselves in identity formation.
Psychologist Robert Jay Lifton described “totalism” as the all-or-nothing lens through which cults function. Nuance is stripped away. You’re either in, or you’re out.
Apple didn’t ask you to buy a computer. It asked you to Think Different. That subtle shift turned purchase into participation. Owning an Apple product wasn’t just about utility—it was about declaring what kind of person you were.
Cult brands thrive not because of what they sell, but because of what they mean.
When your customers see themselves in your story, they move from being passive buyers to active disciples.
2. The Steve Jobs Blueprint
Jobs was not a conventional CEO. He was a storyteller, a designer, and, most importantly, a master of narrative psychology. He drew from three essential pillars that still shape Apple today:
a) Mythology Over Marketing
Jobs didn’t just launch products—he launched myths. The iPod wasn’t “a 5GB music player.” It was “1,000 songs in your pocket.” The iPhone wasn’t “a phone with a touch screen.” It was “an internet communicator, a phone, and a music player in one.”
By distilling complex technology into powerful symbols, Jobs gave people stories to believe in, not specs to memorize.
b) Rituals and Gatherings
Apple keynotes were more than product announcements. They were modern-day sermons. Crowds gathered, anticipation built, and Jobs—black turtleneck and all—took the stage like a high priest unveiling prophecy.
These rituals reinforced the cult dynamic: you didn’t just buy Apple, you witnessed Apple.
c) Charismatic Leadership
Jobs embodied the archetype of the visionary rebel. He wasn’t just selling computers; he was leading a movement against mediocrity, against “the boring suits,” against conformity. His presence galvanized loyalty not to the company, but to the cause.
3. The Anatomy of a Cult Brand
What transforms a business into a cultural force? We see several recurring traits in companies like Apple, Nike, Patagonia, and Tesla:
A Core Enemy Every cult needs something to resist. For Apple, it was “the system,” symbolized by IBM in the famous 1984 commercial. For Patagonia, it’s environmental destruction. For Tesla, it’s fossil fuel dependence.
A Distinct Language Cult brands invent their own vocabulary. Apple users “sync,” “AirDrop,” or live in the “ecosystem.” Starbucks customers order “grande” and “venti,” not small or large. This shared language builds an insider community.
An Aesthetic Code Apple’s minimalism is more than design—it’s a doctrine. White backgrounds, clean lines, and stripped-down packaging became an ideology: simplicity is truth.
Exclusivity Through Scarcity: Early iPhones sold out instantly. Limited sneaker drops create frenzy. Scarcity signals status, and belonging becomes aspirational.
Ritualized Participation Unboxing a new Apple device is a ritual. Attending a product launch is a pilgrimage. Every repeated act reinforces devotion.
4. Power in Dispersion: Why It Works Today
Michel Foucault famously said, “Power is everywhere because it comes from everywhere.” Cult brands understand this. They don’t rely on traditional advertising alone. Instead, they create distributed ecosystems where power flows through community, culture, and daily ritual.
In today’s attention economy, authority no longer looks like a billboard—it looks like an influencer’s recommendation, a meme, or a TikTok trend. Apple’s power doesn’t sit only in Cupertino; it’s dispersed across millions of users proudly posting “Shot on iPhone.”
5. The Dark Side: Responsibility of Cult Branding
Of course, with power comes risk. Cults can inspire devotion but also blind fanaticism. A brand too rooted in exclusivity risks alienation. A leader too central can collapse a movement when they falter.
Jobs himself was criticized for his uncompromising style and for cultivating an echo chamber.
Companies like Theranos tried to mimic the cult framework without substance—and imploded.
The responsibility for modern brand-builders is to channel this psychological architecture ethically: to create belonging without manipulation, to inspire without deception.
6. Lessons for Today’s Brands
Not every company needs to—or should—become a cult. But every brand can adopt lessons from Apple:
Tell a Bigger Story: Don’t just sell the product, sell what the product allows people to become.
Create Rituals: Think about how customers interact with your product. How can the experience feel ceremonial?
Build Language: What words, phrases, or symbols can make your community feel like insiders?
Identify the Enemy: What problem, system, or mindset are you helping people resist?
Embody the Cause: Brands aren’t faceless. People follow people. Who represents your mission?
At Bell&Rise, we use design systems, storytelling, and cultural insight to help companies step into this space. Cult brands are not accidents—they are engineered.
7. Why This Matters Now
We live in an age of abundance. Every market is saturated. Every product has competitors. The only lasting differentiator is meaning.
A strong brand doesn’t just win attention. It commands loyalty, advocacy, and even evangelism. In times of uncertainty, people cling to communities that feel like home.
The next generation of iconic brands won’t be defined by algorithms or ad spend. They’ll be defined by how deeply they connect to identity.
And identity, once claimed, is tough to abandon.
Conclusion: From Brand to Belief
Apple’s story is not simply about innovation. It’s about conviction. Steve Jobs knew that the true product was never the device—it was the self-image people constructed when they chose Apple.
The future of branding is not about features. It’s not even about benefits. It’s about belief systems.
The question isn’t: What do we sell? The question is: What do we want people to believe about themselves when they choose us?
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