When a Brand Becomes a Cult

fter World War II, villagers on a Pacific island built bamboo replicas of military airstrips — and waited for the planes to come back. They still wait today. Historians call it a "cargo cult": a community so committed to repeating the rituals of success that they completely lose sight of what actually caused that success in the first place.

This episode is about what happens when brands do the same thing.

Using CrossFit as the central case study — and drawing on the timelines of Kodak, Blackberry, and Blockbuster — Chris Cooper maps out exactly how a thriving, innovative brand calcifies into a cult. The signs are predictable. The pattern is consistent. And the result is always the same: the company stops evolving while competitors do the science.

You'll learn the five warning signs that a brand is heading toward cult status, what the "dark ages" look like inside a company, and why the most dangerous thing a business can do is confuse its method with its mission.

This episode ends with the biggest test facing businesses right now: AI. The companies that are already testing, experimenting, and adapting will be the ones still standing. The ones waiting for things to go back to normal are building bamboo control towers.

If you're a Canadian business owner who wants to grow — not just survive — this one's for you.

Connect with Chris Cooper:

Website - https://businessisgood.com/