The social Web has made fans of consumers. They have to fight their corner to get others to pay attention to the online content that most interests them. They post content online - a funny video, a thought-provoking article - and they encourage others to comment and vote for it, so 'their' material becomes popular. This means it's more likely to be picked up by other Web users on social media sites. As a result, Web users have become instigators and agitators, advocates and dissidents. This is the age of the digital provocateur and her committed supporters, who help spread the word.
In my last post I observed how fans of TV shows are taking direct action to save their programmes. But fan culture extends way beyond that. Everyone has a passion of some kind, big or small, be it a life changing idea, a preference or peccadillo. It may be a predilection for post-it notes, a passion for The Dark Knight or an affinity for teaching parrots to talk. Whereas once this may have gone unnoticed, now thanks to social media, it's all out in the open (some for the better, some for the worse).
Communities like Squidoo enable people to quickly build Web pages on topics they're passionate about. Part of the site, Hey Monkey Brain! is dedicated to arguments. Anyone can pick a fight on any subject whatsoever. Recent top arguments include 'Boxers of Briefs - Which is sexier?', 'Is Time Travel Possible?', 'Making money online is easy', 'Obama vs. Clinton' and 'PCs are better than Macs'.
Bragster is a new site dedicated to brags and challenges. There's a monthly league table and all your dares ever are documented for posterity. So if you can eat more peanuts than was thought humanly possible, or catch the most M&Ms thrown from a distance of 10 feet, this is the place for you. Talk it up.
Sometimes brand fans create entire sites dedicated to their favourite brand. Ikea hacker is one. The blog invites anyone to send in their Ikea tips and shortcuts, from how to pimp a klippan sofa to how to stop forby stools from wobbling. A recent post shows how to create a shoe rack for narrow places from siljan bathroom mirror cabinets. The community is all about re-purposing content, a real world 'mashup' - that's so 2.0.
The significance for brands is clear. Movements are on the up. Brands need to keep track of them and where appropriate, encourage them. Last year, Apple picked up on Nick Haley's unofficial YouTube tribute to the iPod Touch. Instead of condemning the student for copyright infringements, they remade it high definition.
Brands can also champion movements. Take, for example, Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty, or Trinny & Susannah's crusade to 'dress the nation'.
You don't need to be a charity to lead a cause - although a number of charities are doing very well by treating consumers as fans. Greenpeace's campaign to get people to name a whale prompted the online community of social news site reddit to lobby for 'Mister Splashy Pants'. And, having named the whale, people are more inclined to look out for Mister Splashy Pants' wellbeing. So, not only has Greenpeace generated interest in its campaign, by creating a celebrity whale, it has fostered loyalty.
Passion is contagious and spreads rapidly online. People are drawn to passionate people. They love champs. With the rise of fan culture, now more than ever, if you're not a champ, or a passionate supporter of one, you're probably seen as a chump.
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