Uber-fans for Musicians (and Brands)
While Chuck Klosterman talks about uber-fans as they relate to musicians, I’d like to dive into uber-fans of brands. There are a number of parallels that can be drawn between musicians and brands. Just substitute a brand for any “rock group” or “band” reference below.
If you scrutinise the followers of any significant rock group, you will predominantly find unrelated, nondescript quasi-hipsters who represent nothing in particular; the clearest sign that any entity has become mainstream popular is when it appeals to random people who don’t really care. Asking a band about who inhabits their fanbase tells you nothing. A better question is this: “Who are your fans that care too much?” Because it’s always the fringe lunatics who matter more.
Now, on to brand’s uber-fans…Mike Arauz has written quite extensively on the online friendship spectrum (and why Facebook Fans aren’t real fans), so I won’t go specifically into that area. I will say that I think focusing just on getting Facebook Fans and Twitter followers is a smart move, however, it shouldn’t be the only move.
For us, I believe there has to be a connection between the physical product and the digital identity. That sounds obvious, but it’s not as easy to achieve as you may think. Sure, an online presence is great, but I don’t believe it’s meant for everyone. A brand has to find a way to create uber-fans (both online and offline) who become ambassadors for the brand – dressing, speaking and acting like the brand.
Right now, social media is the buzz and creating online fans is important, but let’s not forget (as brands) we should be focusing on creating uber-fans and not just facebook fans.
Tags: branding, currentblend, marketing, social media