I’m currently passing through Budapest, Hungary.
Budapest used to be my home base, and so, for nostalgia’s sake, I sat down in my former number-one cafe.
It’s a bright, wood-paneled place right in the center of the city. And it’s called Madal, after an Indian spiritual teacher who for some reason was very popular in Hungary.
As you might suspect, the whole place has a kind of cultish feel. There’s light, chanting music playing in the background. A selection of books is there for customers to read, with titles such as “My life’s soul journey.” And a large picture of Madal himself is smiling beatifically at me from the opposite wall.
And yet, in spite of all this mind massage, the cafe is extremely popular. I suspect, more so than if they simply had the same offer (good coffee, decent croissants) and a more neutral decor.
And this reminded me of another, less beatific and peaceful business.
I’m talking about the Wu Tang Clan, a bunch of rappers from Staten Island who adopted slang and imagery from old kung fu movies.
Yes, they had good beats and good rhymes.
And yet, I doubt they would have been such a worldwide sensation over the past 25 years‚ had it not been for the mystique of the Wu and the Shaolin behind the music.
That’s something to keep in mind if you have a fairly vanilla business.
Could you take your ordinary product and make it into a cult — or a clan — simply by weaving in elements of some little-known, mystical, or ancient ideology?
It’s something I keep thinking about for my own projects. And that’s why I’m always paying attention to news items involving archeologists, conspiracy theorists, and new age kooks.
Anyways, if you need some mystical copy written for your business, write me and get in touch. I’m traveling over the next few days (in fact, next few weeks), but we can still find a time to talk.