From Consumers to Communities: Why Standom is key to connecting
Remember when “fangirl” was an insult and Reddit was a weird dark space? That era is officially over. We’re in a ‘Stan’ era, a cultural moment where being obsessed is not embarrassing but empowering.
Whether it’s Swifties, K-pop armies, Formula 1 fan pages, or Dungeon Master TikTok, today’s fans are more than spectators. They’re producers, curators, advocates, and community leaders and they’re reshaping the consumer landscape..
So, what is ‘Stan’ culture? The word stan originated from Eminem’s 2000 song “Stan,” which told the story of an obsessive, unstable fan. It was a blend of “stalker” and “fan”, and initially carried strongly negative connotations. It now defines the intense, joyful, sometimes chaotic enthusiasm people bring to what they love.
Unlike passive followers of the past, stans are active participants in shaping narratives, building community, and driving attention. “Too cool to care” got old and we’ve entered a fandom era that is fundamentally disrupting how brands need to show up.
So. It’s see you later #cringeculture and time to truly get to grips with Standoms.
The Cultural Drivers Behind the Rise of Fandoms
Yes technology has made it easier to connect but the real reason fandoms are exploding is cultural and there are a few key drivers:
Loneliness & alienation: In a time of social disconnection & urban loneliness, fandoms provide belonging with no permission needed.
Political Division: With civic identities becoming fraught, people find safer, more joyful ones through shared interests.
Economic Uncertainty: When your paycheck is stretched, passion becomes the most affordable form of joy.
Exhaustion: Crisis fatigue is real. Fandoms offer an emotional buffer, nostalgia, and collective celebration.
Together, these shifts are fuelling an explosion in micro-identities giving a new framework for living.
Why Marketers Should Care About Stans
Reach Brands bemoan the fragmented nature of media consumption & short attention spans of all, and especially young, consumers; bring back a time when a simple 30 in Corrie got you half the UK population amirite? But the problem isn't really people changing - it’s brands and agencies not changing their thinking for an altered society. The truth is people are consuming more media than ever and attention spans arent declining. A recent Fandom study revealed that consumers spend half their free time following their interests, and nearly half of that time is spent engaging in fan activities like deep dives on Reddit, remixing content, buying merch, or hanging out in Discords. Marketers take a helicopter view and mistake fragmentation for scattered attention. Zooming in shows it's more like hyperfocus on more niche interests. There’s actually been a moderate upward trend in adult sustained attention performance from the 90s to now, and much maligned youth sustained attention abilities are constant. Younger generations are no less capable of concentrating than their ancestors.
Resonance We’ve entered an age where passion signals identity. This isn’t just about what people watch, it’s about who they are and, crucially, how they want to be seen.
This is why brands are thinking about the way to integrate themselves into passions and form emotional connections with consumers in these spaces. According to Harvard Business Review, customers who have developed a bond with businesses are extremely valuable. These “fully connected customers” are over 50 percent more valuable, on average, than the highly satisfied customer. When brands set an intention to add value for a community the results are impressive long and short term and crucially both among the community targeted and broader groups too. Dove’s Code My Crown is a great example of showing up for a fairly niche community - female black gamers - that had measurable positive benefit on all black women. 85% of black gamers felt better represented & crucially there was a 32% increase in brand loyalty in the wider black community.
On the flipside, brands who stay superficial and identify, but don't truly understand, communities fail. Communities are active, vocal and ready to reject brands that don't read the room, talk their language and understand how they (can) fit in.
4 Key Considerations for Marketers
1. Fandom is a mindset
Forget demographics. What unites fans isn’t age, gender or income, its intensity. The old attitudinal layer on demographic targeting in planning isn't enough - it’s about rethinking reach entirely. What are the places, spaces and moments that are meaningful for your communities in social media, online and in real life. Think about tapping in to those not reaching a reach target.
2. Obsession beats awareness
It’s time to get over a need to be known and liked by everyone (and loved by noone). Instead think about how you can be loved by a few (at first). Niche doesn’t mean small and today's micro-community is tomorrow’s cultural engine. Trust the interest graph and humans’ empathy to scale something much more meaningful.
3. Serve the community
The brands that thrive in the fan economy embed themselves into communities and don't treat their efforts like a campaign. They speak the community's language, invite participation, reward loyalty, and are in it for the long-term. This comes with deep understanding of communities and all they nuance that comes with them. Only then can brands define their role, how they show up, add value and make the community a better place by being in it.
4. Co-creation is the new campaign
Fans want to remix, shape, and even mock the culture they love. The smartest brands hand over the mic and the materials to those they want to directly connect with. What consumers do to your brand opens the door for brands to get involved. Brands need a much more accessible and agile approach. That can mean a total transformation of ways of working, a new operating model, slicker sign off and more.
In a world that can feel increasingly fragmented and disconnected, people are choosing to care deeply & connect with each other. That’s a good thing for our culture. And it can be a good thing for brands too - if they’re able to turn traditional reach rules on their heads & commit to communities.
Please note that all opinions shared are my own in the spirit of positively moving our industry forward. Progress over perfection!
Chief Strategy Officer