Why is “fan” the most powerful word in marketing today

Brands that recognize the importance of superfan can build permanent relations with the audience and turn those deeply sitting feelings in the possibility of income.

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Fandom lived in comic book stores, sports stadiums and weekend conventions. Today is everywhere. In fact, 92% of Americans Say the fans of something.

The fandom is woven into how people express themselves, they connect with others, and even make decisions about the purchase.

The generation shift encourages this momentum: the same data shows the younger Americans of the age of the elderly and four to five times more likely to be more likely to be more likely to be more likely to be fans and video games.

For Gen Z and Millennium, Fandom feels deeply personal. Deloitte It reports that about half feel more closer to creators in tiktok or youtube than in Hollywood Stars.

These parasocy bonds make the fanda always in a relationship, because each interaction has a sense of intimacy and current.

Brands that recognize the importance of this cultural force can build permanent relationships with the audience and convert those deeply sitting feelings in the possibility of income.

ShondalandProduction company found by SHONDA RHIMES and globally loved due to franchise Gray anatomy and BridgertonOne example of the brand strategically exploits its fanda.

The team on Shondaland does not treat its superfenes as opportunities for fast and simple victories; Instead, they work on expanding fan with stories outside the screen, sometimes through experiences, and sometimes through special products.

“Supperfan will sniff non-contrast co-operation and products that do not match the story within their shows,” said Sandie Bailey, the main innovation and design officer in Shondaland.

Examples of real estate in Bridgerton include experiences like The queen ball (Created in partnership with Netflix and fever, which are hosted in cities around the world), where the fans are left to regent clothes and are immersed in the World Bridgerton. There is Alura inspired by Queen Charlotte Wedding collection For brides in the product area.

Utility is also a defined element of Shondaland Playbook. Long-term brand partnership with barca for production Gray anatomy The sawmills became one of the best-selling lines.

“If you can create items that are useful outside the show, you can be successful whether you are a super-financed or passive fan that simply requires a quality pair of peels,” Bailey said. “We think of this type of engagement as another chapter in the story we are talking.”

This combination of usefulness and emotional resonance creates loyalty that exceeds one season on the screen.

Similar strategies appear in other categories. The Beverage Brand Olipop, for example, focused on its growth Grashroot Activation. “We try to move the culture and connect our superfans in real life,” Steven Vigilante, director of the Strategic Partnership in Olipop.

For example, brand is recently Activation of the travel agency time “ The Austin Motel turned into three Immersive apartments. Every taste is inspired by a different decade, and fans could enter the stay by selecting the official emergency line with the nostalgic topic of the campaign.

The brand also published 5,000 exclusive VIP boxes at a price of just five cents – each filled with seasonal tastes and marked goods – which is immediately sold out.

Olipop and Shondaland have a common understanding that their fans are looking for more than the product. They recognize that fans crave small, tangible ways of life in stories and identities that bring them joy.

It is just as important that you understand where fans naturally gather.

Forums like Inharmonious and the entry platforms like Halant Create a micro-fang environment that allow fans to be connected and expand organically. These spaces are in a place where the passion feels most detected, and brands can follow their fans in these environments, and they do not expect to be fans to seek them.

“We fault in a fanda, because we want to create space for those who are something obsessed,” said Chalanto co-founder and director of Bekah June. “Fandom is where you open it open.”

Although it is still early phases for the fandom economy, it is easy to see where it moves. Gen Z and Gen Alpha, for example, grow up with identities shaped around creatives, also shows brands that feel personally invested in. Harging and participation will only strengthen the position of fandom in consumer culture.