Okay, it may be labeled as childish to some, but there is a online Flash cartoon called Homestar Runner that has this amazing online following (more than 300,000 at last count - 3 years ago). Homestar and his pals, which include Strong Bad, Bubs, the Cheat and others are the creation of the Chapman brothers.

Why am I bringing this up? Because I think there’s a good example in here of what a cult following looks like. Three years ago this month, Strong Bad, a “bare-chested Flash cartoon creature with an indeterminate accent, a potbelly and a Mexican wrestling mask,” drew something called Trogdor while he was telling a story. And then a revolution began. People started sending in pictures of food items shaped like the dragon-man. Fans got tattoos and dressed up as Trodgor for Halloween. Vanity plates and birthday cakes. It’s amazing. Check out the three year recap (complete with original metal music) and check in each week to watch Strong Bad answer his email.

The brothers never set out to have a following like this. They were just doing something on the side that they loved and thought was entertaining. I think companies big and small can learn a lesson here. It’s not all about the ad budgets all the time. It’s about telling a great story about who you are and what you are. If you do it the right way, the kindred spirits will flock to you.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 25th, 2006 at 11:31 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Other posts by Spike.