reading through this morning's NYT, i see that one of our favorite cult brands over the years is dying on the vine..."Somehow we believed that if you got a reputation for wonderful dealer service, then the product didn't matter," remarked Mr. Lutz, 72, who watched Saturn's fits and starts from prominent positions at Ford and Chrysler....so my question, what is apparent success rate for cult brands. apple is a winner...saturn is a loser...what else does anyone know of?

i am an avid sports fan who is watching the je ne give a shit pas bowl right now on espn and i still have no idea what espn stands for (not that i ever thought about it)...if i hear about apple one more time i'll hurl an apple through the window (i guess that'd be my own PB G4 though, so a bad idea). cult brands are "up and comers" IMHO and then they lose cult status when the redneck next door buys one.

I think Darren might be interested in what makes people passionate about brands. Whether or not 'cult' is the right word is a matter of semantics. Our answers reflected what I believe he was looking for. Anyway, I always thought it stood for Extra Sensory Perception Network.

"SportsCenter is the longest watched 'everyday' show in TV history I believe. It attracts more people than most other shows on the channel and is a brand anchor. Other than SportsCenter, ESPN has nothing other than a horrible magazine." Had to comment on this one. I am not sure what "everyday" means -- if that eliminates NBC "Today" show (and late shows), the network nightly newscasts, and also ABC's "Nightline". If you're talking 7 days a week, then maybe...but if the argument defaults to cable programming then I wonder if CNN isn't longer. Interesting. As for the last statement about ESPN having nothing other than a "horrible magazine," dude, I don't have enough space here to debate you. ESPN The Mag redefined sports magazines (I was VP at The Sporting News, we were No. 2 and had to transform due to ESPN The Mag and so did No. 1 SI); ESPN Radio is No. 1, espn.com is No. 1 (I'm MLB.com and can say that), ESPN restaurants are profitable, ESPN has most majors sports contracts and soaring ratings in all sports...like I said, I don't have enough space, you just can't make a statement like that.

And I would say that the poker sensation has gone from cult following to critical mass following the past year or two with Travel Channel and ESPN cutting-edge broadcasting. Not sure if they can sustain but I think they started as cult and grew.

I don't think I saw anyone actually answer your question about what "ESPN" stands for. It is: Entertainment Sports Programming Network. That makes you also wonder how many people know what "CBS" stands for: Columbia Broadcasting System. If you look at the history of broadcasting, then you see why Columbia has such a rich place in broadcast history. Great brands are like that -- you never think about what acryonyms mean, in the same way that you never really think about Walt Disney's signature when you look at the Disney logo. I wouldn't call ESPN a cult brand, by the way. I would say anything that is less than critical mass might be a cult brand, although it also might simply be a developing following. An example of a cult brand is http://www.jacquielawson.com. I read about her two days ago in WSJ, and people around the world are paying to send her customized-artwork online greeting cards to other people. She made $2 million in revenue this past year from something that others do for free...a true cult following.

a whole channel of 3rd tier celebrity poker.... now there's excitement...

3 hours a day of televised poker, hmmmm

Bowling has been nonstop action for me. "What do you think he'll do next, bob?" "I think he'll try and knock all the pins down for a strike." "He missed the 7." "He sure did. He'll have to try and hit it this time. Hey, does your wife trust you when you're out alone on the road like this?"

without ESPN, where could you professional pool? i just love the tension behind every shot. will he hit the corner pocket? will he add more chalk to the cue? pure action.

Oh, and my favorite, the ESPN, "Without Sports, who would cheer for the Nimrods?" It's about a little town whose basketball team is called the Nimrods. After the commercial aired, the team and the coaches got their five minutes of fame on Jay Leno.

ESPN is a cult brand, but it's also a brand that has let it's agency's do their stuff. This is a brand where people want to work on it for the sole reason it's going to go in the reel/portfolio. The ESPN "without sports" campaign is a prime example. http://www.markromanek.com/spots/mak... is cult branding.

Back on topic: ESPN is all back by Disney no? I think it makes them untouchable they are so penitrated in the ad world. They make so many different things vs harley or apple or tobasco...

I read that ESPN will be launching a cellphone in the near future. They hope to utilize the tuff phones from the NExtel merger. DONE!!! Right on the afterburner will be Disney phones. They hope to use the sidetalkin walky talky phones so familys can communicate wheather they are on rollercoasters or in epcot center hangin with snowwhite.

Yeah the humor/irreverence from Sportscenter and the commercials don't translate to print well. The only thing I like about ESPN Magazine now is the stock it's printed on and how it feels against my skin. Or was that too personal?

SportsCenter is the longest watched 'everyday' show in TV history I believe. It attracts more people than most other shows on the channel and is a brand anchor. Other than SportsCenter, ESPN has nothing other than a horrible magazine.

I think Sportscenter is really the heart of it. Sportscenter has had a brilliant, long-running documentary style advertising campaign featuring beloved sports heroes in unexpected situations. Subtract that and you have a few NHL games and tractor pulls.