Here’s me–a grown, 38 year old man, cheering for my favorite brand, the Chicago Cubs, after they clinched the National League Division Series last fall.
I’m hugging Mitch, a beer vendor I just met, but who I still regard with a certain reverence and fond wistfulness. I stood in line for 4 hours for the slim chance of getting day-of-game tickets and when I got to the window, I gladly paid $325 to wave around a cheap dish towel with a blue “W” printed on it for another 3 hours. I paid 9 dollars for beers that probably cost 25 cents a pour. Not only that, I bragged about it on social media.
It’s embarrassing. I’m not proud of this. But the fact is, my friends did too. And 40,000 other people did the same. I went to two other playoff games. And we’ll do it again this year– if we’re lucky.
It begs the question: Why don’t other brands inspire the same passion and loyalty?
Now, I know that most brands simply don’t have the earned media exposure or the thrilling experience to compete with a professional sports franchsie. But if you only ever look at your consumers as people who buy your products and services, that’s all they’ll ever be. If you start to treat them just a little bit more like an audience–that likes to be entertained, that’s given something to get excited about– then maybe they’ll start to behave a little more like fans.
Fans are fanatical. They do things that normal people don’t. They wait in line. They share things on social media. They feel part of a community. And that community can amplify your message.
You might think that’s not possible with your brand. But with the right storytelling and the right media we can target the specific audience you need to activate and we can begin to speak them, not as consumers, but as fans. I founded my branded content agency, Underthink, on the idea that brands can begin to speak to their audience just as journalists and filmmakers and other media outlets have for years. Email or call and we’ll underthink it, together–
petenoback@underthink.it
312-282-1110
I’m optimistic we can make better advertising with a better return on your investment. I have to be optimistic. After all, I’m a Cubs fan.
