No I’m not suggesting that you go out and start doing something illegal – I’m talking about how virtual adoption can be a really great idea to connect people with your product or service (and donate funds!).

While Miro (a pretty cool video service that is definitely worth checking out) claims to be the first to allow “adopting” code – this is hardly a new business model – you see it a lot in charities like environmental groups that allow you to adopt a tree that you don’t actually physically own but you’ve sponsored; or aid groups that let you sponsor a child and be able to send letters to them.

Through beautifully rendered graphics charting the anthropomorphised growth of your code, Miro creates a real sense of connection between you and what effectively is a bunch of characters.

Remember how successful Cabbage Patch Kids were in the 1980s? Yes, they were adorable – but the killer marketing move was in giving each Kid its own birth certificate – it was no longer just a doll, it was your child. Miro gives you an adoption certificate that you can even post on your blog and “watch yours grow”.

And one day, your code will grow up to be “a little buddy like these”…

This has a place outside charities and open source software like Miro, I’ve seen apple farmers let you sponsor an apple tree for a year and you get all the apples it produces sent to you. 

Can you think of something in your business that can be “adopted”?