Published on The Current
With so much online, it’s hard to stand out — that is, unless you can attach your company to something your consumer is passionate about. Luckily, everyone is a fan of something these days.
“There’s so much clutter right now, and consumers are distracted,” says Jeremy Steinberg, chief revenue officer of the platform Fandom. “Being able to authentically speak to consumers and connect to their interests is extraordinarily powerful.”
Whether it’s Swifties celebrating the end of Taylor’s monumental world tour, or Netflix subscribers eagerly awaiting the next installment of Squid Game this Christmas, superfans are abundant. About 7 out of 10 people who identify themselves as fans of something say their fan community is part of their daily lives, according to Amazon research. More than 60% also believe that being a fan is part of their identity. What’s more, 63% of fans are open to brands reaching out to fan bases.
The key to fitting in with fans is authenticity. It’s easier said than done, especially when you consider that superfans can spot a fake a mile away. But the good news for savvy marketers is that first-party data enables brands to tailor marketing messages to those superfans across different channels.
“The No. 1 driver is listening to what people have to say and acting on the feedback,” says Kara Manatt, Magna executive vice president of intelligence solutions. “That’s what’s going to drive cultural relevance for brands.”
To find out what works for brands and superfans, Magna completed an in-depth analysis of Reddit communities in a recent Media Trial. Nicknamed “the front page of the internet,” Reddit sees superfans in its more than 100,000 communities that range from Star Wars to the NBA. The opinions communicated on these boards become trusted recommendations and insights. The site gives brands an opportunity to join the pop culture moment.
“When a brand targets a superfan, they’re tapping in to a deeply engaged audience,” says Alex Underwood, Reddit global head of agency development. “These passionate users drive conversations, share recommendations and serve as go-to sources for others, helping brands build authentic connections with broader audiences.”
Magna found that the top three reasons people use Reddit as opposed to other social media are to learn new things (63%), hear about different perspectives and opinions (59%) and get different opinions (59%). What’s more, Redditors weren’t against the idea of brand integration.
“One of the things that stood out to me in the focus groups a lot was they want brands to be human first and then a brand,” Manatt says.
The Reddit focus groups told Magna they were more likely to click on something if brands provided entertaining content with real value. One of the most resonant methods for brands to engage was the Ask Me Anything (AMA) sessions. More than 75% of Redditors said they respected the brand more if they hosted an AMA, and 63% said it made the marketer seem more authentic. Around 85% said they liked brands that had candid exchanges with users.
“While niche groups of superfans may seem small, they’re often highly active, making them powerful audiences for brands,” Reddit’s Underwood says. “On Reddit, these communities are incredibly engaged, giving brands the opportunity to create deeper, more genuine connections, drive meaningful engagement and foster long-term loyalty.”
However, there were some lines that Redditors didn’t think brands should cross, like foul language.
“What we found is it was not appropriate,” Magna’s Manatt says. “The majority of people found that to be too far: 68%.”
While this study was on Reddit, Manatt says the key takeaways worked across social channels. One thing Magna has found is that a brand has more success if it accepts its misses rather than ignores them.
“Let’s say your ad didn’t resonate right away,” she says. “Acknowledge it and kind of poke fun at it or address the situation, rather than just hiding it and pretending it didn’t happen. Don’t be a corporate wall.”
Additional targeting threads may be available to reach superfans that AI can help to discover. Fandom’s FanDNA Helix program, for example, analyzes its first-party data on its more than 50 million pages so marketers can use the information to find fans both on its platform and on other sites. With the help of AI, this information can help expand targeting and provide more scale.
Take one of Netflix’s most popular franchises, Squid Game, which is returning for its second season on Dec. 26. FanDNA Helix found that fans were likely to visit other anime, animation and survival-horror gaming Wikis. It also yielded some counterintuitive results. For one thing, they gravitated to technology and magic, and were 62 times more likely to look at content about HBO’s Euphoria, Intrigued by its quest, survival and escape themes. Marketers could then use the info to expand their targeting, because consumers found under those topics may be more likely to like similar products.
“Our ability to basically atomize everything about something like a show like Squid Game, down to thematic elements and the motivations behind why consumers are interested, allows marketers to have more effective insights into how they should be addressing those consumers,” Steinberg explains. “It also finds unique ways to expand the audience that they’re trying to reach into through IPs.”
After all, if your consumer is passionate about something, they’re also more likely to transfer those feelings to your brand if it is in the right space. Magna’s research has shown that emotion and passion can play a positive role in the impact of advertising.
“Superfans are super engaged,” Magna’s Manatt adds. “They’re feeling strong emotions of all different sorts, and that is really a great halo for any brand to be under.”
