Uprising: How to Build a Brand--and Change the World--By Sparking Cultural Movements

CHAPTER 7

Sustaining a Movement—and Taking It Global

A few years ago, when we were working with Scion, Toyota’s brand for the youth generation, we found that the Scion’s customer base was very interested in customization of cars as a form of self-expression. We immediately saw a movement opportunity here: if we could somehow give these people the tools to customize their cars in interesting new ways, we’d be providing the kind of useful service that could strengthen their ties to the brand. But to make it a movement, we also needed to do something to tie these people closer together, to create a sense of shared identity. Our dream was to create a kind of underground car enthusiast movement that had its own distinct language and symbols. So we ...