The Jeep Wrangler's history and loyal fans helped the brand secure the 2017 Cult Brand honor.
Jeep has long had some of the most devoted fans in the auto business and their loyalty and attachment to the brand have earned the brand a designation that places it in unique company.
It has been recognized as a 2017 “Cult Brand” Honoree at the annual “The Gathering” by the Society of Cult Brands. Jeep is the first and only automotive brand ever recognized by the association.
Besides Jeep, the other honorees include Beats by Dr. Dre, Gatorade, Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey, Snickers, PlayStation, Vans and charity water.
“Other automotive brands have been nominated over the years, but it’s so fitting that Jeep is the first Cult Brand Honoree. It’s an iconic brand with vehicles that stand apart from any other in the automotive category,” said Chris Kneeland, The Gathering co-founder and Chair of the Brand Selection Committee.
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The Jeep Grand Cherokee continue enjoy a loyal following.
“Their marketing, product innovation and customer engagement are best-of-breed and represent exactly how cult brands foster internal and external brand engagement,” added Kneeland.
Founded in 2013, The Gathering is focuses on honoring the principles and practices employed by the world’s most successful brands, which have come to dominate their industries or categories by winning the irrational loyalty and devotion of customers and fans the world over.
(Click Here for our review of the all-new Jeep Wrangler.)
The brands and the key representatives were honored at The Gathering recently in Banff, Alberta, for what the organizers of the event described as, “Their outstanding courage and unconventional thinking in achieving enviable brand engagement and reaping the benefits of cult-like status.”
Mike Manley, head of Jeep Brand at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. said, “Having the Jeep brand acknowledged as an Cult Brand Honoree, just as the all-new Jeep Wrangler and Jeep Cherokee begin to arrive in dealerships, is a testament the people, who since 1941, have dedicated themselves to building the world’s most capable SUVs.
The off-road capability of Jeep vehicles is “second to none,” Manley added.
(To see more about Jeep’s role in Fiat Chrysler doubling its 2017 profits, Click Here.)
“The global Jeep community is like no other. There is no other automotive brand that is so instantly recognizable and woven into the history of its home nation yet recognized around the world, and one that is protected with such a passion by its owners, fans and followers,” Manley noted.