A short Google search in almost any direction can bring the "official mascot of the internet" hopping onto your lap, or at least onto your laptop. I speak, of course, of cats.
Cats are all over the internet these days in every medium: on picture sharing boards, in YouTube videos, in your email inbox, EVERYWHERE. They not only have their own profile pages on Facebook, they have their own Facebook App, Catbook. It's hard NOT to StumbleUpon the furry little creatures. They seem to be everywhere, asking for cheeseburgers nonetheless!
Indeed with the rise of so many websites devoted entirely to cats, many of us are left scratching our heads and asking, "Why?". Leigh Alexander proffers this analysis in her article "Why The Internet Chose Cats":
Given the overwhelming preference for dogs apparent in mainstream entertainment media and in statistical analysis among Americans, the cat’s election as unofficial ‘mascot of the Internet’ is a phenomenon worth noting. Certainly, some of this can be explained by facts such as ‘internet culture pioneers are not representative of the norm’; ‘the internet is a haven for subcultures to express preferences less welcome in mainstream society’; and ‘people who are dog people are probably doing things like throwing a Frisbee outside, painting a fence in suburbia, driving to a relevant chain restaurant or giving birth to children in a hospital setting , not going online creating Tumblrs.’
Certainly, I am a dog person myself. But I can see why cats might be the more "shareable" pet online. While dogs are loving, faithful, and fun, they are not the independent individuals that cats are. Cats are nothing if not their own animals. They don't just lie there being petted on like dogs, cats climb mantle-places, knock over plants, hunt mice, and they don't need your help to do it. Cats have attitude.
In the US, we have a culture that values independence and individuality as highly as patriotism or religion. A strong sense of self is as American as apple pie and Internet culture is highly influenced by American culture.
To get shared like cats get shared, you need to develop and project your own sense of individuality and personality. If your product or brand has half the attitude of cats, it should spread like wildfire.
Certainly there is a need to convert your following into ROI (Return on Investment). Numbers speak for themselves. Just developing a brand personality is not worth anything if you don't have tactics for converting those "likes" into sales. Conversely however, if you don't have a brand that can connect with real people, then you don't have a following to sell to!
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