A cult, according to the dictionary, is a system of religious beliefs, and a cult brand is built when a set of people revere it almost like religion. Branding can become a way of identifying the kind of person you are and the beliefs you have. Some brands are icons without being cults, e.g. Coca Cola. It does not have a dedicated following that Harley Davidson does. Harley Davidson is held up as a symbol — as a false God if you so like.

Cults display an intensity of relationship between the user and brand itself. They are brands which polarise attitudes and where meaning is created by difference, by being distinctive. They cannot be all things to all people. They must exclude some people. (C James Best ).