A closer look at the leaders behind beloved brands like the Savannah Bananas, Liquid Death, and In-N-Out — and how to steal their strategies
If it feels harder than ever to make your brand stand out, you’re not wrong.
These days, brands are shouting louder, spending more, and crossing every creative line just to snag a few seconds of attention.
But in my experience, that’s not how real brand loyalty is built. You build it by creating something people want to connect with and belong to.
I’ve been fortunate enough to have conversations with the leaders behind some of today’s most beloved and attention-grabbing brands, like:
💀 Liquid Death
🍔 In-N-Out
💎 Kendra Scott
⛽ Wawa
⚾ The Savannah Bananas
And what makes these leaders special isn’t just their marketing savvy or brand creativity. It’s how they build culture, shape values, and understand what makes people feel like they belong.
That’s not a marketing challenge. It’s a leadership challenge.
So if you’re looking to build a brand people care about (and come back to), this article is for you. Let’s unpack the leadership moves behind brands with cult-like loyalty—and how you can apply them, too.
1. Start with culture
I’ve seen it over and over: leaders chase brand strategies before they’ve built a brand-worthy culture.
Chris Gheysens knows better. He’s the CEO of Wawa, a regional convenience store with fans who talk about their favorite hoagies like most people talk about sports teams. And in our conversation, he was clear about this connection between the external brand you show your customers and the internal culture you shape for your employees.
As he told me, “When you think about a cult brand, you have to take care of inside the business first.” It’s about investing in your team—not just with perks, but with purpose, clarity, and care. Whatever you pour into your people will flow right through to your customers.
After all, customers will never read your brand guidelines. It’s what they experience in those employee interactions that ultimately defines your brand.
At Liquid Death, that connection between internal culture and external identity is about protecting the brand’s core values.
As founder and CEO Mike Cessario told me on How Leaders Lead: “It’s about … keeping the culture at Liquid Death intact. It’s a brand that’s all about fun and disruption and creativity, and that DNA has to always be a part of the DNA of the company. If you lose that spark, you lose the ability to innovate.”
At both Wawa and Liquid Death, the takeaway is the same: your internal culture and your external brand are inextricably linked. Your customers can sense when they’re aligned—and when they aren’t.
🛠️ Try this: What kind of experience are you creating for your team members? You can’t expect employees to deliver joy, service, or connection if they don’t feel it themselves.
2. Obsess over customers
I’m all for creative marketing. But if the actual customer experience doesn’t deliver, no campaign can save you. In fact, it might just make you fail faster.
The best brand-builders know this, and they don’t compromise on it.
At legendary fast food joint In-N-Out, President Lynsi Snyder says the brand’s fierce customer loyalty comes from being just as fiercely loyal to the customer.
In the face of rising food costs, Lynsi refuses to sacrifice quality. As she told me: “We’re loyal to the customer. We’re not cutting corners. We’re not compromising. Our customers feel the difference. They feel that we care.”
It’s a similar story at the Savannah Bananas, where owner Jesse Cole has created sell-out crowds across the whole country with their motto of “fans first.”
The games are full of entertainment and zany surprises, but Jesse is quick to point out that it’s not about gimmicks: “We get the attention first and then [people] realize, ‘Wow, this team really is fans first. They don’t charge convenience fees. Every ticket is all inclusive. They pay for my shipping.’ Everything we do is to try to create fans.” (Hear more from Jesse here!)
When you lead with care and consistency, the experience speaks louder than any ad ever could. That’s what customers remember—and return for.
🛠️ Try this: Experience your product or service like a first-time user. What delights you? What falls flat? Where could a little extra effort create a lot more loyalty?
3. Make an emotional connection
A strong customer experience is vital, of course, but remember:
People don’t become die-hard fans of a brand because your product specs are good. They do it because of how the brand makes them feel.
That’s something Kendra Scott understood from the very beginning.
When she opened her first jewelry store, she rejected the traditional model of intimidating, under-glass displays and formal service. Instead, she built something entirely different: an inviting, hands-on experience filled with joy, connection, and even cupcakes.
She was my first-ever podcast guest (really!), and here’s what she told me: “From day one, I believed that the most important thing we could do is create a connection with our customer. The transaction will follow.”
That same emotional connection is core to Liquid Death’s brand strategy, too.
A lot of brands sell water. But Liquid Death solves an emotional problem: What do you give the guy who wants to make healthier choices, but doesn’t feel like any of the health brands speak to him?
“Let’s make something that is really good for you, but make it look like beer,” Mike Cessario told me. “Make it look like something that this inner-city kid will walk around with in front of his friends and not feel embarrassed by. The emotional things and why we make decisions do matter.”
Don’t just sell a product or a service. Create a feeling, or tap into one. Connecting on that emotional level is what turns customers into fans.
🛠️ Try this: What kind of emotional experience does your brand offer? Think beyond the transaction. What do people feel when they use your product, walk into your space, or share your story?
These conversations make one thing clear:
Brand devotion doesn’t come from clever taglines or one viral moment. It comes from the way leaders show up—consistently, intentionally, and with purpose.
It’s there in how they shape their internal culture.
How they care for customers, far beyond the point of sale.
And how they create emotional experiences that people remember.
At the end of the day, great brands aren’t built by marketers alone. They’re built by leaders who understand people, both inside and outside the business.
I’d love to hear from you: What’s a brand you’re fiercely loyal to, and what made you fall in love with it? Drop a comment and share your thoughts on how strong leaders can build strong brands!