I did a little work for a company called Desteenation Shirt Co. the other day.  I was so impressed with what I learned about this company in the process that I honestly thought about not charging for my services.  At the Desteenation website, click on the company’s mission description and you see a company that this company is “…seeking to attract kindred spirits” to accompany its Desteenation Expedition on a search for nostalgia or desire for T-shirts from real businesses, taverns, or restaurants. There are tons of T-shirt companies out there.  What is different here, and genius, is the successful “cult branding” that is going on. Desteenation Shirt Company succeeds in tapping into our own sense of nostalgia about the places we remember from the good ol’ days or our travels, and attaching emotion to our experience shopping for a T-shirt.

Take a look at the “Expedition Blog” button at the top of the website.  We are invited to see how the Desteenation crew discovered each T-shirt and the history behind the establishment the T-shirt design describes.  There is an immediate connection between the company and the buyer. You feel like part of the Desteenation team.

When I played the You Tube video found on the Desteenation Blog (halfway down, titled “Deteenation Shirt Co. – As Seen on TV”) I saw one of the company’s founders wearing one of his favorite T-shirts, a Yama’s Fishing Supplies shirt.  Yama’s Fishing Supplies was a little fishing shop just down the street from my office in Kona that is no longer in business.  I went in that shop many times.  I instantly wanted to buy one of those Yama’s shirts!  I instantly felt loyalty to Desteenation!  I am part of the group if I buy one, being let in on this exclusive secret!  Now I understand why people buy Mini Coopers, Mac Computers and Harleys.Â