A four-step system — founder story, positioning, brand world, and advocacy — for engineering the behaviors that turn ecommerce customers into fans who defend the brand in the comments.
Posted
11 months ago
Duration
Format
Tutorial
educational
Views
81.3K
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57 · 43
Big Idea
The argument in one line.
Cult-like ecommerce brands are engineered, not accidental — four deliberate levers (founder story, us-versus-them positioning, brand world, and retention systems) turn a single sale into a repeated identity.
Who This Is For
Read if. Skip if.
READ IF YOU ARE…
You run or market an ecommerce brand competing against bigger, better-funded incumbents and can't win on price or distribution alone.
You want a repeatable framework for founder-story messaging instead of guessing at what to put in an about-page or ad script.
You're trying to move past one-time buyers toward customers who repurchase and refer others without a discount code.
SKIP IF…
You're B2B or service-based — every example here (Stanley, Fenty, Poppi, Alo, Kiaura) is a physical-product ecommerce brand.
You're pre-product and haven't sold anything yet — this assumes you already have a product and are trying to build loyalty around it.
TL;DR
The full version, fast.
Cult-like brands aren't accidental — they're engineered by deliberately triggering three fan behaviors: treating the product as part of the buyer's identity, turning buyers into active recruiters instead of quiet enjoyers, and making ownership a status symbol. The video lays out a four-step system for building this on purpose: write a founder story around five pillars (origin problem, personal transformation, mission, struggles and sacrifices, transformation for others); position against market giants with a five-step us-versus-them framework instead of competing on price or distribution; build an immersive brand world where the product is the entry point rather than the whole experience; and treat the first purchase as the start of a retention system, not the end of the funnel.
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Hooks on the Stanley Cup obsession, asks whether any brand can build cult-like loyalty on purpose, and promises a four-step playbook.
00:50 – 01:03
02 · Credentials: who is Chase Chappell
650K+ marketers followed across socials, $1B+ in combined client revenue generated, positions the framework as battle-tested rather than theoretical.
01:03 – 03:33
03 · Defining cult-like fan behavior
Three behavioral differences between a regular fan and a cult-like fan: identity alignment, watching vs. advocating, and product vs. status — each illustrated with Stanley, Fenty, Nike, and UGC examples.
03:33 – 03:58
04 · The four-step playbook named
Names the four levers that engineer the three behaviors above: your story, positioning, your world, and advocates.
03:58 – 06:38
05 · Step 1: the founder story and its five pillars
Origin problem, personal transformation, mission and belief system, struggles and sacrifices, and transformation for others — using Kiaura sunglasses and a hair-care brand as running examples.
06:38 – 08:48
06 · Step 2: positioning against giants
The five-step us-vs-them framework (call out the giant's flaw, position as the human alternative, show customer transformation, lean into underdog energy, bake it into the marketing flywheel), demonstrated with a live Poppi-vs-Cola sugar comparison.
08:48 – 09:50
07 · Step 3: building your brand world
Sell the lifestyle before the product category, using Alo as the example — the product is the door, the ecosystem of touchpoints (studios, events, content, collabs) is the house.
09:50 – 11:00
08 · Step 4: turning buyers into advocates
Treats the first purchase as an entry point into post-purchase flows, emotional loyalty loops, and a retention engine that blends subscriptions, personalized upsells, and community.
11:00 – 11:42
09 · Recap and CTA
Recaps all four steps against the full node diagram, then pitches the next video on ad formats and asks for a subscribe.
Atomic Insights
Lines worth screenshotting.
A cult-like fan treats a brand as part of their identity; a regular fan just uses the product without it meaning anything about who they are.
The number one reason cult-like brands grow fast is that fans recruit other buyers — regular fans might recommend a product if asked, but they don't go out of their way to push it.
For a cult-like fan, owning the product itself confers social status, the way a car collector shows off a supercar.
A founder story without a stated mission is just a biography, not a reason to buy.
Sharing the struggles and failed attempts behind a brand builds more trust than a polished origin story, because it proves the founder actually fought for the outcome.
Trying to outspend, out-discount, or out-retail an established giant burns cash and fails — positioning differently is the only durable path for a challenger brand.
Selling a hydration drink against Gatorade, Liquid IV, and LMNT is winnable not by matching their scale but by selling premium ingredients and founder-led transparency as the actual advantage.
A brand's product is the door; the lifestyle, culture, and ecosystem around it are the actual house customers move into.
If everyone can access a brand's world equally, no one values being part of it — scarcity is what makes a brand world feel premium.
Treating a first purchase as an entry point rather than the end goal is what separates a one-time sale from a long-term customer relationship.
Customers buy again to protect their identity inside a brand's world, not because of a discount — emotional loyalty loops outperform price incentives for repeat purchases.
Five hundred thousand-plus in follower reach and $1B in generated client revenue is the credibility base for this specific four-step framework, not a general marketing theory.
Takeaway
Cult brands are engineered, not accidental.
WHAT TO LEARN
A cult-like brand is built through four deliberate moves — a vulnerable founder story, us-versus-them positioning, an immersive brand world, and a retention system — not through a better product alone.
03Defining cult-like fan behavior
A cult-like fan treats the brand as part of their identity, actively recruits other buyers instead of quietly enjoying the product, and treats ownership itself as a status symbol.
04The four-step playbook named
The four-step playbook that engineers those behaviors is named all at once — story, positioning, world, advocates — before each is broken down individually.
05Step 1: the founder story and its five pillars
Open a founder story with the exact moment of personal frustration, not the company's founding date — specificity is what makes it relatable.
Show that the founder solved the problem for themselves first, before turning it into a business, to prove the story isn't a cash grab.
State an explicit mission the brand serves, and don't polish out the struggles and sacrifices — vulnerability builds more trust than a clean origin story.
Close the founder-story loop with real customer transformations, shifting the narrative from 'me, the founder' to 'we, the brand and customer.'
06Step 2: positioning against giants
Don't try to outspend, out-discount, or out-retail an established giant — reposition around what they are not (human, founder-led, ingredient-obsessed) instead.
The five-step us-vs-them framework works by calling out the giant's flaw, claiming the human-alternative role, proving customer transformation, leaning into underdog energy, then repeating that frame everywhere.
A believable underdog narrative is itself a growth lever — it doesn't require matching a competitor's ad budget to work.
07Step 3: building your brand world
Sell the lifestyle and identity before the product category — the product is the entry point, the ecosystem around it is the actual experience.
Every brand touchpoint (studio, event, content, collab) deepens belonging; treat them as layers of immersion, not separate distribution channels.
Scarcity is what makes a brand world feel premium — if access feels unlimited, the community stops feeling exclusive.
08Step 4: turning buyers into advocates
Treat the first purchase as an entry point, not the finish line — plug new buyers immediately into education and community flows instead of just a receipt.
Customers repurchase to protect their identity inside the brand's world, so emotional loyalty loops (community, exclusivity, status) outperform discount-driven retention.
Glossary
Terms worth knowing.
Us vs Them framework
A five-step positioning method where a challenger brand explicitly contrasts itself against an industry giant's weaknesses (mass-market ingredients, faceless corporate image, slow-moving culture) instead of competing on price or scale.
Marketing flywheel
Repeating the same us-vs-them positioning message across every touchpoint — ads, landing pages, content, community, comparison charts — so the brand's contrast story compounds instead of being said once.
UGC
User-generated content: videos and posts made by customers themselves showing or endorsing a product, used here as evidence of active brand advocacy rather than passive brand awareness.
“You don't build a brand, you build a world people want to step into.”
the thesis of the entire brand-world chapter in one sentence→ IG reel cold open↗ Tweet quote
09:48
“If everyone can touch it, no one values it.”
aphoristic, applies well beyond ecommerce→ newsletter pull-quote↗ Tweet quote
The Script
Word for word.
Read-along
Don't just watch it. Burn it in.
See every word as it's spoken — crank it to 2× and still catch all of it. The same dual-channel trick behind Amazon's Kindle + Audible.
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metaphoranalogystory
The most valuable asset you can build today is building a cult like brand on the Internet. Kinda popping. Kinda popping.
If you market a brand online, building a stronger brand should be your number one priority. This is for all the Stanley girls. So obsessed with the Stanley Cup.
So the billion dollar question is, can anyone do it, and is there a blueprint for building a cult like brand today? Well, the answer may surprise you. Yes.
Now I've helped grow some of the fastest growing cult like brands on the internet and studied the biggest ones out there. And I noticed there's a lot of similarities and patterns across all of the biggest cult like brands. So in today's video, I'm going to walk you through a simple four step playbook for how you can create your own cult like brand on the internet.
And if you care about scaling your brand, this will be the most valuable video you'll ever watch. By the way, I'm Chase Schappel. Over 650,000 marketers follow me across socials, I've generated my clients a little over $1,000,000,000 in combined revenue, and I've grown a lot of the brands and creators you shop with online every single day.
Now, before we go through my four step playbook for how to transform your brand into a cult like brand, first, we need to define what is cult like in the first place. Because before we can build something great, we need to understand and have total clarity on where we are headed. So this is how I break it down to my clients.
There are three differences between a regular brand you see online versus a cult like brand that has raving fans. And the difference really comes down to behavioral patterns. And understanding these behavioral patterns is why cult like brands grow so fast and literally take massive market share from giant corporate brands out there.
So let's look at these behaviors of cult like fans and understand them, so then we can create our ads, messaging, and brand around that. Difference number one is what I call identity alignment. With a cult like fan, the brand becomes part of their identity.
They wear it. They post about it and use the products as a signal of who they are. An example of this would be I'm just a Stanley girl.
This is for all the Stanley girls. Or Fenty just understands my personality. This is insane, you guys.
Or I shop with Nike over Adidas any day. They feel belonging in the community around that specific brand. Whereas a regular fan, they might just enjoy the product, but it's just one of many brands that they may use.
Their sense of identity doesn't really depend on it. Difference number two is watching versus advocating. A cult like fan, they actually recruit others, convincing their friends, their family, even strangers to try out the product.
Look how adorable these are. They post UGC videos, defend the brand in comments, and treat advocacy as a duty.
A regular fan, if asked, they might recommend a product, but they don't go out of their way to push it. Fans sharing the brand experience is the number one reason cult like brands grow so fast compared to regular ones. Indifference number three is product versus status.
A cult like fan, owning the product gives them status in their social circles. They show it off. They're proud of it, like car collectors showing off their supercars.
You understand? A regular fan, it's just another product out there. Maybe it's in their closet, fridge, or house.
They maybe bought it once from an ad because they thought it was cool. But it's really up in the air if they'll buy again or even tell somebody about it. So to recap this, we have identity alignment, watching versus advocating, and product versus status.
Now that we understand these behaviors, we can begin to build our four step playbook for building your cult like brand. So let's take a look at the four tactical shifts you can implement into your brand today to transform it into a cult like brand and turn your customers into cult like fans. It all starts with your story, positioning, your world, and advocates.
Now let me break down each of these tactically and how you can engineer them into your brand. So remember to do this. All we gotta do is center our brand around these three behaviors of a cult like fan, make our product a part of their identity, and make them a brand advocate that wants to share our product and give them status when they become a part of our brand.
The first step in this playbook is a strong founder story. That's the messaging. The foundation, the vibe, the purpose, and the reason, and the movement behind the brand.
It's embracing gratitude, the beauty. So every time you put on a pair of Kiora sunglasses, you see life through a new lens.
This is at the core center of everything you're going to build. And without this, you have just another brand on the Internet that may or may not be bought from. So to create a collab audience, you have to give them something to connect with beyond just another product.
If you look at any one of the brands and creators that I've helped grow online today, a strong founder story is at the heart of almost all of them. Because a strong founder story connects the pain that you once lived, the solution you created, and the mission you believe in, and the struggles that you overcame, and how that transformation now delivers to every customer out there.
We create the story with five key pillars. The first one is the origin problem. Every great founder story starts with a pain point you personally experience.
So what you're gonna do is you're gonna show the exact moment you felt that frustration or gap in the market. This will make your story instantly relatable because your customers will see themselves in your struggle. An example of this was, I was tired of x problem, so I built x brand to fix it.
A little bit too much about our hair, but we noticed a huge gap in the hair care space. Every product was unhealthy and unsustainable. Number two is the transformation.
Show how you solved the problem for yourself first before turning it into a business. We ordered a ton of natural ingredients and became a mad scientist on our beverage department stovetop. That's actually how it started.
This helps build authenticity, proves it's not a cash grab, but a solution that worked. Customers will resonate when they see the founder walk that very path before selling the product.
Your third is the mission and belief system. A founder story without a mission is just a biography. You need to state the why behind what you're building and tie your mission into a bigger movement so that way customers will wanna be a part of it.
An example of this is health, empowerment, self expression, and freedom, the struggles and sacrifices. Don't polish the story too much. Share the obstacles, the failed attempts, the limited money that you have, the long nights.
This vulnerability builds trust and shows you fought for the outcome, not just stumbled into it. It makes the brand feel human, not manufactured. The transformation for others, proof of impact.
Close the loop by showing how your product now transforms customers' lives the way it transform yours. Use real results, community stories, or cultural movements to do this. This shifts the story from me, the founder, to we, the brand, and customer story.
Just look at Steve Jobs with Apple, Phil Knight with Nike, and Elon Musk with Tesla. Even at the highest level, a strong founder story is at the heart of these brands. So here's how to position your brand against industry giants.
Giants in your space have deep pockets, mass distribution, and brand equity built over decades of time. And if you play their game, trying to outspend or out discount or out retail them, you'll burn cash and ultimately just fade away.
Positioning differently is the only way to make sure you're not just another forgotten me too brand. Brand. You're probably not the first to sell a hydration product like my clients Waterboy or Hydro Power or Red Salt supplements.
Big titans like Gatorade Liquid IV, LMNT have historically dominated this space. Yet my clients can still break through and grow in what some would call a dominated market.
And this is all because of what I'm about to show you, The Us versus them framework. It isn't just about marketing, it's your advantage. You're not just selling another product, you're selling a rebellion against generic mass market options.
Probioxin has some prebiotics, natural flavors in it, plus it also has apple cider vinegar in it. We do that in five simple steps. Number one, we're gonna call out the giant's problem.
They corners on ingredients. We use premium. They chase mass appeal.
We go deep on one category. They move slow. We move the Internet speed.
Number two, position your brand as the human alternative. They are faceless corporations. We are founder led and transparent.
They make commercials. We make content with our own community at scale. They push a product.
We build a lifestyle and culture and belonging. Number three is show the customer's transformation. They'll sell you soda that wrecks your gut, will fuel your body with something that makes you feel good.
And number four, we're gonna lean into the underdog energy. People love rooting for David over Goliath based stories. This is the story of how waking up hungover and a trip to Whole Foods led me to starting one of the world's largest hard kombucha company.
They spend millions on ads. We spend it on ingredients. Number five, bake it into your marketing flywheel.
Ads, landing pages, content, community, spread this messaging everywhere, comparison charts, founder led stories, UGC, celebrating wins. And a great way of seeing what is working for other founders is using a tool like Foreplay, which I've left in the description below for you to literally spy on your competitors' ads.
So now let's talk about how you're going to create your brand world. You don't build a brand, you build a world people want to step into. The product is just the door.
The lifestyle, the culture, and the ecosystem, well, that's the actual house. Look at how brands like Aloe do this. They sell the lifestyle first.
You don't lead with leggings. You lead with identity. Alo sells mindful movement, wellness, and community.
Before they sell just fabric, the product is just the uniform. You need to create an ecosystem of touch points between your studios, events, content, and collabs because every touch point is another layer of immersion.
Community equals belonging. People wanna fit in with others in the Alo world. Your job is to create signals, rituals, and spaces.
Content sells the world, not the skew. Premium access, psychology, exclusivity creates FOMO, events, collabs, and drops.
If everyone can touch it, no one values it. The brand world thrives when access feels scarce, premium and limited.
So let's talk about how to create repeat buyers. If you follow this playbook, repeat buyers will naturally happen. People believe in your brand, they make it part of their identity.
They advocate for you in their communities, and you can turn a single purchase into a long term relationship. Instead of treating a first purchase like the end goal, we treat it as the entry point.
That first sale immediately plugs people into your post purchase flows on email and SMS with value and education based emails going out, community invitations, brand world immersion. The goal is to make the buyer feel like they just joined something bigger, not just ordered another product.
In emotional loyalty loops, exclusivity, identity, and status, this ensures the customers buy again to protect their identity inside the brand world. In the retention engine, systems, over guessing, personalized upsells, subscriptions and replenishment, offers that stack urgency and community, blending paid and organic touch points together.
Because paid retargeting layered with UGC and organic socials that educate and entertain, and then creator partnerships, Everywhere the customer scrolls, your brand is there, reinforcing that trust and reminding them to buy again. So let's recap our four steps here to building a cult like brand.
The first one is create a strong founder story. The second is position your brand as the human alternative. The third is use a single purchase as an entry point into something bigger.
And number four, establish strong repeat buying frameworks. This is single handedly the greatest asset you can build if you're building your brand on the internet today. And I got into business ten years ago to help brands and creators do exactly this.
And if you like this video, make sure to subscribe, and I picked out this next video for you right here, showing you exactly what type of ads you need to flow into your cult like brand. So check out this video here, and I'll see you on the inside in the next one.
The Hook
The bait, then the rug-pull.
Chase Chappell opens with the Stanley Cup obsession as proof that brand loyalty has become a measurable asset, then promises a repeatable blueprint — not just a lucky outcome reserved for a handful of viral brands.
Frameworks
Named ideas worth stealing.
01:30list
Three Behavioral Differences of Cult-Like Fans
Identity alignment
Watching vs. advocating
Product vs. status
The diagnostic used to tell a cult-like fan apart from a regular fan — each difference is a behavior to engineer for, not just a description.
Steal forauditing whether current messaging/ads are actually targeting identity, advocacy, and status, or just product features
03:33model
The Four-Step Cult Brand Playbook
Your Story
Positioning
Your World
Advocates
The top-level framework the whole video is structured around — each of the four nodes gets its own deep-dive chapter.
Steal fora brand strategy audit checklist
04:46list
Five Pillars of a Founder Story
Origin problem
The transformation (self)
Mission and belief system
Struggles and sacrifices
Transformation for others
A structural template for writing a founder story so it reads as relatable and proven rather than polished marketing copy.
Steal foran about-page rewrite or founder-story ad script
07:38list
Us vs Them Positioning Framework
Call out the giant's problem
Position as the human alternative
Show the customer's transformation
Lean into underdog energy
Bake it into the marketing flywheel
A five-step method for positioning a challenger brand against a category giant without competing on price or scale.
Steal forcomparison ads, landing page hero copy, or a founder-led brand story against a dominant competitor
CTA Breakdown
How they asked for the click.
VERBAL ASK
11:00next-video
“if you like this video, make sure to subscribe, and I picked out this next video for you right here, showing you exactly what type of ads you need to flow into your cult like brand”
soft subscribe ask paired with a specific next-video recommendation (ad formats) rather than a generic 'like and subscribe' — also plugs the Foreplay ad-spy tool mid-video at 08:37 as a secondary soft CTA
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