Cultivating Connections in Marketing: How Brands Build Loyalty by Engaging with Fandoms

Tapping into the enthusiasm of fandoms can dramatically enhance marketing strategies, turning casual customers into passionate advocates. This blog explores how brands like McDonald's, Chipotle, and Netflix, Glass Cannon Network have mastered the art of engaging with various fandoms, highlighting the crucial role of understanding your customers, the ecosystems they inhabit, and the importance of reaching them effectively across multiple channels spanning both the digital and physical world.

While many brands try to incorporate these concepts, below are four examples that truly embrace them:

McDonald's and the "WcDonalds" Anime Campaign

When McDonald's launched the "WcDonalds " campaign, a playful nod to anime culture's fictional fast-food chain often used to avoid trademark issues, they did more than sell burgers; they celebrated a shared passion with their customers. By rebranding select locations to mirror the anime aesthetic and offering limited-edition merchandise, McDonald's transcended the typical consumer-brand relationship, creating an immersive experience that resonated deeply with anime fans. This clever campaign fortified loyalty among existing anime-loving customers and piqued the curiosity of casual observers, expanding their customer base.

Tariq H. , McDonald's Chief Marketing and Customer Experience Officer, remarked, "Anime is a huge part of today's culture... The WcDonald's universe... celebrates their creativity, authentically bringing it to life in our restaurants for the first time ever." ?This initiative deepened engagement by integrating fans' creativity into the McDonald's brand experience.

Netflix: Driving Emotional Connections with "Drive to Survive" and "Sprint"

Netflix has turned docuseries like "Drive to Survive" and "Sprint" into gateways that transform casual viewers into hardcore fans of Formula 1 and track athletics, respectively. By focusing on personal stories and behind-the-scenes drama, Netflix gives fans and newcomers alike a reason to care beyond the sport itself. These series exemplify how deep, narrative-driven content can create strong emotional ties, enhancing fan engagement and attracting new audiences who might never have tuned in.?

Seeing the backstories of athletes like Noah Lyles, Sha'Carri Richardson, and Simon Biles through Netflix shows made the Olympics these past weeks so much more exciting and engaging for fans. As marketers tapping into those deeper connections that customers have with their favorite athletes, we can make our campaigns and sponsorships that much more impactful.

Chipotle: Olympic-Sized Engagement

In a strong move to tap into Olympic fever , Chipotle rolled out a unique initiative during the 2024 Olympics. It created special burrito combinations based on the preferences of Olympic stars and then wrapped them in gold wrappers. This campaign not only celebrated the achievements of Olympic athletes but also connected with the fans and supporters of these sports icons, leveraging the global enthusiasm for the Olympics to foster a deeper connection with its customer base.??

Leveraging channels like social, in-app, and email, Chipotle could engage current customers and prospects, building awareness of the unique limited-time combinations and driving additional trips. ?By connecting these elements with their app and loyalty program, adding to the basket took just seconds.?My go-to was the Sophia Clark burrito before each game, and it seemed to pay off. ?#superstition

Glass Cannon Network: Where RPG's, Entertainers, and Podcasting Collides

With each of the examples above, massive, scaled brands that are already leaders in their respective industries are tapping into fandoms to build more engagement among current customers, foster deeper relationships, and expand their customer base.?

However, there are also cases where brands have been born and are thriving by serving the interests of a particular fandom.? One of those examples originated with a group of friends who decided to record their weekly Pathfinder roleplaying game, throw it up a podcast, and see what happens (there was a bit more to it).?Nearly ten years later, thousands of recorded episodes, sponsorships, ad-supported shows, membership-only shows, national tours, and more is the GCN!

The Glass Cannon Network understands the RPG gaming community's heartbeat, and their "Giantslayers" podcast, which morphed into a vast entertainment network, is a testament to this. By blending immersive storytelling with the authenticity of genuine gameplay, they've crafted content that speaks directly to the hearts of RPG fans. Their success lies in consistently delivering what their listeners love, nurturing a dedicated community of gamers eager to listen, participate, and share their passion.

Knowing You Customer

In each of these examples, the success of the campaigns hinges on a deep understanding of customer behaviors, preferences, and the specific fandoms they value. When you are a smaller and rapidly growing business serving a niche market like the GCN does, you can get by on your own. Still, for a larger business serving vast marketer and complex customer bases, it's critical to have more sophisticated tools to help. This is where a Customer Data Platform (CDP) can become indispensable. A CDP can integrate customer data across various channels, providing a unified customer view that helps marketers tailor their strategies to meet different audience segments' precise needs and interests.

Utilizing a CDP, marketers can harness detailed insights to craft personalized experiences that resonate on a personal level with each fan. For example, knowing which customers are engaged with "Drive to Survive" can help Netflix recommend similar content, engage them with personalized emails about Formula 1, or even target them with special subscription offers during the racing season.

Knowing Your Customers Across Channels

It is crucial to reach customers where they are most engaged, whether through social media, podcasts, television, or even physical stores. Each highlighted campaign shows the power of channel-specific engagement that speaks directly to the heart of fandom communities. With a robust CDP, marketers can identify the right channels for each customer segment and deliver consistently compelling content optimized per platform to amplify fan excitement and participation.

Wrapping It Up

The art of embracing fandoms in marketing is about celebrating and amplifying the shared passions between a brand and its customers. McDonald's, Netflix, and the Glass Cannon Network, and Chipotle exemplify how deeply understanding and thoughtfully engaging with fan communities can lead to remarkable marketing successes.

Remember, in the marketing cosmos, it's not just about seeing where the fans are; it's about joining them in their universe. And when you do, bring value, respect their space, and contribute to the fandom. That's how brands transform from outsiders into beloved mainstays.