Here's the secret to the Undertaker's cult following

How can the retirement of a famous wrestling star show you exactly what to do if you want to grow a following of rabid fans for your business or brand?

"BUT IT'S FAKE!" I hear you shout (inside your head, hopefully...)

Regardless of whether you're interested in wrestling or not, there's a lot to learn from one of wrestling's biggest characters when growing your brand.

You see, this week was a landmark.

WWE legend, The Undertaker, announced his retirement after 30 years at the top.

You may or may not be a fan but there is a huge amount someone who has spent years doing anything at the top level can show you.

WWE is a “sports entertainment” company. It’s more like a media company than a sports brand.

It doesn’t have athletes and competitions. It has characters and storylines.

It’s less knockout competition and more soap opera.

These days, no-one pretends the matches are anything but staged. That doesn't take away from the level of athleticism needed to do your job day-in, day-out.

That’s fine when you’re in your 20s but a bit later... that takes some looking after. But it’s not just about what you do in the ring.

And that’s what makes The Undertaker so interesting and his retirement such a big deal.

I’ve been to Wrestlemania FOUR times. 

Not as a fan, I might add, but for work. 

In fact, it’s a real spectacle and only those people who are the most determined to not enjoy it won’t get caught up in the energy.

(And we were the most sarcastic, cynical group of journalists you can imagine.) 

Every Wrestlemania, there was always the question of whether the Undertaker would remain undefeated.

Every year, the drama was heightened around whether this would be the year he was finally defeated.

One of the most explosive matches I’ve ever seen was to a packed-out stadium of riotous WWE fans who were treated to the denouement of a storyline featuring two of the wrestling's biggest names. 

The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels were veterans of the ring yet they jumped, grappled and threw themselves around the ring in one of the longest matches in Wrestlemania history.

(Here it is, if you're into that kind of thing...)

Not bad for a couple of “old” guys who showed us a masterclass in drama and athleticism.

The point here is that a character like The Undertaker has endured and his popularity has grown and grown.

What he’s done is VERY different from the usual trajectory of some of the most popular names, such as The Rock/Dwayne Johnson and John Cena who transition into movies and beyond. 

(Look out for some Rock-related articles in the future - we’ve SO much to discuss…)

Instead, he’s maintained near-purity with his character.

In a series of interviews with Undertaker fans this week, the BBC tried to pinpoint why fans loved him so much.

And this quote caught me:

"He had a lot of respect for his own character. He famously didn't do interviews or break character which added to the mystique when the gong sounded."

“It meant as a fan, you always wanted more.”

He stayed in character ALL the time.

He respected how his character appeared to the people who mattered - his audience.

He could have done films. He could have done the kinds of stuff that breaks him outside the boundaries of what fans expected.

That’s what you’re supposed to do, right?

Well, no. Not always.

The Undertaker knew who his true fans were.

Everything he did through his career worked towards cultivating those true fans.

He didn’t seek to broaden his audience by doing anything beyond what he knew he was great at.

In the process, he achieved not only growing his legion of fans as WWE grew as a brand…

… he DEEPENED the relationship he had with them.

And that is the key to making your brand magnetic.

This isn’t a call to refuse exposure or stay unknown to your audience.

That’s just what The Undertaker felt he needed to do to maintain his relationship with his fans.

Decide what you want to be known for by your audience and single-mindedly focus on developing that relationship and your reputation.

The Undertaker knew how he wanted fans to feel about them.

And he achieved that in the most stunning way. 

Are you showing up like The Undertaker every day in every interaction with your audience in the right way to cultivate the reputation you want?

I can teach you to create great marketing that actually sells.

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Jody