I did not consider myself a FAN of anything.
My boyfriend is a super fan of the New England Patriots. He can recite stats and stats of past players and game winning plays. He watches every game. He has a ritual. A favorite jersey. A lucky hat.
I don’t follow the Patriots.
Hey, I enjoy watching others experience the game, I secretly make notes of uniform style changes and logo updates. I actually sat through half of last year’s season opener and stupidly asked my man, “So, who does Randy Moss play for this year?” He kindly and gently pointed out that Randy Moss was the guy who had caught the ball seven times and just scored. Uh… right.
My friends are super fans of the Boston Red Sox. They watch every game, follow the players, the ups and downs of the season, batting percentages and player trades. I watch the game to see which brands are advertising during the game or in the stadium. Going to Fenway with me is a history lesson in who use to have a sign there, a promotion here…
But, a Super Fan, it turns out I am. It hit me during a sad moment of disappointment.
Here’s the story — I reached out to Levenger for a conference I am helping plan. I thought they might have a fun item to donate to the gift bag. A perfect target market for Levenger products as the conference attracts professional women, career oriented, influential decision makers.
Levenger said no.
In fact, they wrote a really nice email telling me why they can’t donate. They have decided to focus on libraries this year. I totally understood. But I am their fan…. their Super Fan and they needed to know this. So I wrote a note back telling them of my disappointment, telling them I LOVE their products, professing my loyalty and letting them know just how many people I have personally introduced to their product lines. Then I pleaded for a coupon or something fun to add to the bag that would cost them little but be tailored to women at the event.
Guess what they wrote back?
Nothing. Zip. Nada. No reply.
That’s the moment I realized I am a Super Brand Fan. Because I was angry.
I already knew I loved this product line. All my friends would tell you I am a huge fan of their products carrying my little Circa notebook with me wherever I go. But, it didn’t occur to me I was a Super Fan until I got angry. Because you know what — I am their brand ambassador! How could they not listen to me? I am a living human extension of their products. And I took the time to introduce myself, to reach out and profess my love and all I got back was a canned (albeit kind) response and then not even a reply.
I was treated like a number. A faceless, unknown name on a mailing list.
It’s time for brands to wake up. This just doesn’t fly. Faceless numbers do not a fan make.
Marketing Sling: What does it take for you to call yourself a “fan”? How much do you have to love a product to call yourself a Super Brand Fan? To tell your friends about it? To actually associate yourself with a product? To hit that glowing “fan” button on Facebook? Think about this as you develop social media, customer service and other client facing programs for your products and services.
Technology is changing the conversations we have with everyone. Customers are changing the way they interact with brands. And, brands …well they are learning the hard way that the mood is shifting. People are no longer numbers or targets. They are human beings. If customers reach out, they expect to be counted, to be seen, to be heard.
It’s the human thing to do.
