Fox News

Build a cult: us-vs-them, leader, ritual, rite of passage

Sam's playbook for building a brand with cult-like attention: frame it as us-versus-them where the 'us' is a downtrodden or forgotten minority, then add a clear leader, rituals, and a rite of passage (like fraternities) so members bond for life. He notes it works even when the 'minority' is actually the majority (Fox News, Trump's 'silent majority').

“in terms of like a shtick, it's like the best. It works all— it always works. Um, like in the steps to build a cult, it had like— there, there's like, there's like a definitive like steps. It's like there has to be a clear leader, there has to be some type of rituals around the, the experience, uh, there has to be a bunch of other things.”

Steal thisManufacture an us-vs-them identity around a 'forgotten' group, then add a leader, rituals, and a rite of passage so members bond for life.