How to Design a Ritual: A Brand Builder’s Guide

1. Start With the Transformation, Not the Product

A few weeks ago, while preparing for the Story-Driven Learning Lab in Madrid, I walked into a Muji store just to buy a pen.

Nothing special. A plain gel pen in black. The kind you’ve seen a hundred times — unbranded, no frills, no glossy packaging. But the moment I picked it up, something shifted. I felt… ready. Not for a meeting. Not for a to-do list. For writing. Reflecting. Thinking clearly.

That pen became part of my preparation ritual.
It wasn’t about the pen. It was about the mindset it unlocked.

Because that’s what rituals do: they mark a transition. They help you cross the invisible threshold from distraction to focus, from ordinary time to meaningful work.

It cost €1.30.
And it’s one of the most powerful branding experiences I’ve had all year.

Because people don’t fall in love with products.
They fall in love with what those products help them do — over and over — until it becomes part of who they are.

That’s the power of ritual.
It’s invisible branding. Quiet. Repetitive. Transformational.

And if your brand wants to move from awareness to belonging — from transactions to meaning — this guide is for you.

2. Find the Moment That Repeats

Rituals are built on rhythm. They don’t happen once. They happen again and again — until they carry emotional gravity.

This is where many brands get stuck. They focus on the moment of purchase, not the moment of use. But rituals don’t form at checkout — they form in the context of daily life.

Tony’s Chocolonely isn’t just a bar of chocolate. It shows up during an afternoon break, a moment of comfort, a treat you feel good about. And the mission printed inside the wrapper reminds you — every time — why it matters.

charity: water doesn’t just ask for donations. It gives you a specific moment to act — your birthday. That one day, every year, becomes an invitation to step into generosity. That’s rhythm.

4T2 lives in motion. Its gear supports running, surfing, biking — but more than that, it’s designed for people who carve out space to connect with nature. That ritual — stepping outside — is where the brand lives.

Ask yourself:

“When does our product naturally appear in someone’s day or week?”
“What emotional moment are we part of?”

Then design with that rhythm, not around it.

3. Design the Choreography

Rituals aren’t one-step actions. They’re sequences — small, intentional patterns that help people feel like themselves.

Every powerful ritual includes:

• The Object — the thing they hold, wear, taste, use
• The Action — the behavior that puts it in motion
• The Emotion — what it evokes (readiness, calm, resolve, connection)
• The Community — the people who share or witness it

Muji’s pen, for example, is a tool. But when I sit down with it, in a quiet corner with coffee nearby, it signals: now we begin. The emotion is clarity. The community? Others who write — not for content, but for transformation.

With Othership, the ritual begins the moment the audio plays. The breath slows. The body softens. The room becomes quiet. They’ve choreographed an internal transition that turns their app into something sacred.

When you design your brand experience, ask:

• What’s the physical gesture your customer repeats?
• What feeling are they trying to access?
• What rhythm or context supports the moment?
• How can you elevate that experience, without disrupting it?

The choreography doesn’t have to be big. It just has to be felt.

4. Name It, Normalize It, Nurture It

Repetition creates identity, but language locks it in.

Naming the ritual turns it into something people can talk about.
Sharing it makes it feel communal.
Celebrating it turns it into a culture.

charity: water turned birthday giving into a movement. People don’t just donate. They say, “I gave my birthday for clean water.” That’s language. That’s belonging.

Skin Rocks calls its skincare line “routine, redefined.” It’s not a product — it’s a ritual of care.
Othership talks about “downregulate” or “reset” sessions. The words reframe the breathwork experience as something intentional and powerful.
Strava didn’t just build a fitness app. It built a ritual of accountability. You don’t just go for a run — you log it, title it, share it.

These layers of language transform action into identity.
They say, This is what I do. This is who I am.

Ask yourself: What words do we give people to describe the rhythm we’re part of?
How do we make them feel seen in their repetition?

5. Let It Evolve With Them

Rituals aren’t fixed. They grow with the person practicing them.

The same goes for brands.

As your audience matures, changes habits, or faces new challenges, your role in their ritual might evolve. The key is to listen, stay close, and design for flexibility.

Muji didn’t change its core simplicity. But it now supports people working remotely, journaling, and meditating. It adapts by staying quiet but present.

Othership launched with daily breathwork. Now it includes partner sessions, rituals for grief, and peak performance routines. The product expanded as its users did.

A ritual that evolves stays relevant because it reflects the truth of real life: we change. Our rhythms shift. Our needs deepen.

If you want to build a lasting connection, don’t chase attention.
Design for adaptation.

Rituals Build Resilience

When the world changes — when platforms collapse, tastes shift, or competitors emerge — ritual is what keeps people coming back.

Why? Because ritual is deeper than marketing.
It doesn’t rely on trends, tone of voice, or performance metrics.
It relies on rhythm. On emotional continuity. On trust built through repetition.

That’s what makes brands like Muji, Tony’s, and Nike resilient. Not just admired, but integrated into people’s lives.

People don’t abandon rituals easily. Because rituals don’t live on shelves.
They live in muscle memory, in mornings, in habits, in identity.

If you want your brand to survive the noise, build something people repeat.
Not because they have to.
Because it feels like them when they do.

Why Subscriptions Work: Ritual, Delivered

There’s a reason subscription models have exploded.

It’s not just about convenience. It’s about ritualization.
Subscriptions embed a brand into your life by tying it to repetition — daily vitamins, weekly meals, monthly skincare, quarterly books. They show up on time, every time. No decision fatigue. No friction. Just rhythm.

And with rhythm comes emotional bonding.

You don’t just like your morning AG1 routine. You count on it.
You don’t just receive a new bottle of Skin Rocks serum. You perform the same 3-minute ritual that starts or ends your day.
You don’t just get a monthly delivery of Tony’s Chocolonely. You unwrap it at the same time, with the same tea, after the same type of day.

Subscriptions transform products into patterns.
And patterns into identity.

That’s what the smartest subscription brands understand:
You’re not selling stuff on repeat.
You’re designing a ritual loop that your audience wants to live inside.

Rituals Aren’t a Niche Strategy. They’re a Universal Human Need.

In a world obsessed with growth hacks and viral tactics, ritual might seem slow. But what ritual builds is much harder to disrupt:

• Emotional connection
• Repetition that sticks
• Identity through action
• Community around meaning

Ritual is what makes a brand live in someone’s life, long after the ad ends.

And it’s available to everyone.
Even a pen. Even a chocolate bar. Even you.

A ritual is a doorway.
And your brand can be the one holding it open.

So don’t just ask:
How do we get people to care?
Ask:
What rhythm are we joining?
What transformation are we helping repeat—until it becomes real?

Want more?

If this resonated, you’ll love The Mentor Brand — a guide to building brands that lead with story, purpose, and transformation. Get the book here.