You know you have a cult following when…

  • Article

[![ProEXR File Description =Attributes= channels (chlist) comments (string): "created with mental ray 3.6.51.2" compression (compression): None dataWindow (box2i): [0, 0, 1666, 4999] displayWindow (box2i): [0, 0, 1666, 4999] lineOrder (lineOrder): Increasing Y pixelAspectRatio (float): 1.000000 screenWindowCenter (v2f): [0.000000, 0.000000] screenWindowWidth (float): 1.000000 tiles (tiledesc): [32, 32] =Channels= A (float) B (float) G (float) R (float) ](https://msdntnarchive.blob.core.windows.net/media/MSDNBlogsFS/prod.evol.blogs.msdn.com/CommunityServer.Blogs.Components.WeblogFiles/00/00/00/39/61/metablogapi/8424.DC25Blueprint2_thumb_68324874.jpg "ProEXR File Description

=Attributes= channels (chlist) comments (string): "created with mental ray 3.6.51.2" compression (compression): None dataWindow (box2i): [0, 0, 1666, 4999] displayWindow (box2i): [0, 0, 1666, 4999] lineOrder (lineOrder): Increasing Y pixelAspectRatio (float): 1.000000 screenWindowCenter (v2f): [0.000000, 0.000000] screenWindowWidth (float): 1.000000 tiles (tiledesc): [32, 32]

=Channels= A (float) B (float) G (float) R (float) ")](https://msdntnarchive.blob.core.windows.net/media/MSDNBlogsFS/prod.evol.blogs.msdn.com/CommunityServer.Blogs.Components.WeblogFiles/00/00/00/39/61/metablogapi/8053.DC25Blueprint2_2940C7D9.jpg)

….when you can create a limited edition version of your product. And it’s a hoover.

This is the Dyson DC25 BluePrint Limited Edition which I came across whilst researching vacuum cleaners this weekend (don’t ask). I admire James Dyson as he’s revolutionised an industry and branches out nicely in to the world of fans and hand driers with equal amounts of innovation. When people talk about innovation they often refer to things in terms  of their inventiveness and newness and also their personal relevance. Dyson does a fine job on both counts.

My point here though is you know you’re on to a good thing when you can take a fairly utilitarian product like a vacuum cleaner and make a limited edition version that people blog about effusively.

It’s not a perfect measure of success though. I have a Joy Division Zune and whilst there is a solid cult following around Zune, it’s not a smash hit commercial success…but that didn’t stop the team creating a only 500 of these things in collaboration with Peter Saville and making them quite collectible.  (hint: none of them are for sale on ebay…though there are two Dyson Blueprints).

Either finding a way to nurture your fans, of helping create them though collectible things like these isn’t a bad idea. Seth Godin nails it with Are you an enthusiast? These people help products succeed and in the world of social media and word of mouth marketing, they’re worth hunting down and feeding as they’re voracious.