Cult Brand Secrets has researched brands like Harley Davidson, Apple, Nike, Starbucks and Lululemon to try and reverse engineer what they did to make them so iconic in their categories. But, thanks to The Gathering, we’ve been able to add other types of entities into our data set, such as cities or destinations and non-profits. 

But we grew increasingly interested in people as well. Once we started researching iconic humans, like Michael Jordan, Oprah Winfrey, and Gordon Ramsey, we stumbled upon a fascinating space of cult brand personalities. It was so intriguing to us that in 2019 we introduced a new category of recognition, and selected Tony Hawk as our inaugural honoree. It is impossible for me to think of a better first time recipient than Tony. His career and brand represent perfectly what we want people to understand about cult brand personalities - the mastery of a craft, the pursuit of passion over profit, the durability of staying relevant for decades, the ability to give back and contribute to a relevant cause, everything that Tony has done qualifies him for this recognition.

This short episode features some of our favorite excerpts from Tony’s 40 minute presentation at the 2020 Gathering. To learn more about Tony’s journey in harnessing his passion to establish himself as a force for good for decades to follow, check out Cult Brand Secrets Premium. By subscribing to our Premium Plan, you’ll gain access to full presentations by the most well-known brands in the world from The Gathering’s past events. Learn more at CultBrandSecrets.com