Lightsabers & Loyalty: How Brands Can Channel the Force of Fandom

Fandoms aren't just about entertainment, they build the kind of lifelong loyalty brands can only dream of. I know this first hand. Last month I flew over 8 thousand miles...for Star Wars.

Sure, there have been cooler sentences I’ve written about myself. But because 80 thousand people from all over the world did the same, I'm in good company and happy to relish in being 'uncool'. Behold! The power of belonging.

Star Wars Celebration, a (mostly) bi-annual international love-fest for all things a galaxy far far away, took place in Tokyo, Japan for 3 days in April. Fans of all ages gathered together to celebrate the passion, nostalgia, creativity, storytelling and community Star Wars has birthed over the last 50 years. There was no way I was missing this opportunity to spend time with my tribe. I made new friends randomly and easily, challenged myself to only shoot with a 50mm 1.8 lens, and I indulged in wholesome joy with other fans.

I also got to see Pedro Pascal's knees in real life…not to objectify but they should have their own fandom.

As I stepped into the Fox den upon my return, and started to push through the jetlag and unquenchable desire for breakfast onigiri, I decided to work on our case study backlog. Reading these epic tales and thinking about fandoms prompted me to consider just how powerful it could be to have a fandom for your brand. To create lifelong fans that welcome you into their lives every day with joy and pride. To build and care for a tribe with a deeply emotional connection to what you do, provide or sell. So much so that they do some of your hardest marketing for you!

If you could tap into what makes a fandom, you could achieve cult-like brand loyalty that your bog standard marketing could never match.

So, curious little Ewok that I am, I embarked on a coaxiam fuelled adventure into fandom and have unpacked some helpful kyber crystals of insight for you...

Why Do We Become ‘Fans’?

Community

Fandoms create a “we” feeling, a shared language, and a sense of belonging. No matter the type of fandom, sports, sci-fi, fantasy, literature, art, etc, we are a 'we'.

In a world that’s becoming disconnected and interactions digitalised, people are jumping at opportunities to commune with others meaningfully. Fandoms typically have many in-person events, cons and meetups a year where the sole purpose is to celebrate something they all love fiercely.

How beautiful is that?

Participation, Ownership and Play

Fan theories, cosplay, fanfiction, debates, art, design, edits - when people can actively contribute to a universe, they feel a sense of ownership. They aren’t just consumers; they are co-creators themselves. A sense of creativity is a vital part of the human experience and giving someone a whole wide world to play in fulfils a need many of us look for.

Play is how we all make sense of the world around us. Particularly as children and teenagers. The universes built in fandoms like by George Lucas, Tolkien, Suzanne Collins, George R R Martin, Terry Pratchett, Agatha Christie, the Austin sisters etc, all give us spaces to imagine, dream and play.

Identity

Fandoms aren’t just about liking something; they’re about identity. People align themselves with Star Wars, Anime, WWE, Studio Ghibli, Football etc, not just because they enjoy the content, but because it becomes a part of who they are. Fans wear their devotion like a badge of honour, defending it against criticism and evangelising it to anyone who will listen (as my colleagues well know.)

This level of engagement is gold dust for brands, but it doesn’t happen by accident.

Escape the Mundane

Star Wars isn’t just a movie franchise; it’s a multitude of galaxies, landscapes and species. Lord of the Rings isn't just a book series: it’s a series of interconnected culture across decades and decades of created history.

There’s lore, characters, and endless depth to explore. Fans feel like they are part of something bigger than themselves. Sometimes that otherworldly depth allows us to escape the mundane, even for a little bit. We look for areas of escapism to add some positive and exciting touch points in our lives. Especially those times in life when things are tough. There is comfort, relief and meaning in temporary escapism.

Family

WWE thrives because people pass their love of wrestling down generations. Same with football, hockey and rugby teams. Studio Ghibli movies are childhood-defining experiences that remain beloved long into adulthood. We pass those experiences and passions down the family line. Nostalgia builds lifelong commitment.

Fandoms run in families because of those shared experiences. A fandom can be so much part of a parents identity, where they found belonging and community, so children often inherit this passion. Parents happily pass this down as a way to help their children benefit the same way they did. A lot of family time can revolve around cinema trips, storytelling and experiences where powerful fandoms reside and so family plays a huge role in creating and sustaining fandoms of all kinds.

Conflict

Every great fandom has a narrative of conflict. Whether it’s Luke vs. Vader, The Rock vs. Stone Cold, or the endless “subs vs. dubs” anime debate, tension fuels passion. Tension is what gives life its zest.

The battles between good and evil and the nuances of both keep eyes and ears engaged and drive narrative. People naturally tend to pick sides and that is when tribes within tribes are born.

Can conflict work in brand marketing? How could it fit in your brand fandom story?

How do you make your brand the next cultural obsession?

1. Build a World, Not Just a Product

Successful fandoms offer immersive worlds. Your brand doesn’t need to be sci-fi, but it does need depth. Nike isn’t just selling sneakers; it’s selling aspiration and athlete-driven mythology. Apple isn’t just a tech company; it’s a belief system that connects across many touchpoints in a user's life, even knowing and measuring your every heartbeat!

What’s the deeper world your brand exists in? Or have you created a new world to welcome your audience into?

2. Create Traditions and Rituals

Think about how WWE has kept audiences hooked for decades. Signature moves, catchphrases, and ongoing narratives keep fans engaged. What are your brand’s signature elements? A secret menu (like In-N-Out), a launch event (like Apple Keynotes), or even a recurring slogan can become a tradition. What about owning a national or international ‘day of…’ or a recurring date that means your brand is guaranteed to be in front of relevant audiences year after year? Disney fans wake at the crack of dawn and wait for hours at the park gates and wear Mickey ears to signpost their favourite characters.

What rituals or traditions could your brand bring to your audiences or internal teams?

3. Give People a Way to Belong

Exclusive communities, elite user-generated content, and insider access make people feel special It fosters a sense of pride, not just exclusivity. Look at how brands like Glossier built an empire by making their early customers feel like insiders.

Build spaces where the very biggest fans can enjoy community with others and allow them to fuel each other's passion for what you do, sell or provide. Give your audience something that makes them feel like they’re part of a select group. The cream of the fandom crop. They’ll bring you the very best UGC in thanks.

How can you make your audiences feel like they belong?

4. Let Your Fans Shape the Brand

Participation is everything. Fan theories make Star Wars more fun; anime memes keep the culture alive. Letting your audience co-create through creative competitions, storytelling collaborations, or user-generated content campaigns will give them ownership over your brand. It will also help you shape your brand into what your audience really wants. You’ll learn so much from them if you open your doors figuratively and literally to them.

How can you invite your fans to contribute?

5. Create Iconic Heroes & Villains

Every fandom has protagonists and antagonists. Red Bull positions itself as the hero of extreme sports; Peloton has its cult-like instructors who fans follow religiously. Who are the heroes of your brand? Maybe it’s your founder’s journey, your top customers, or your commitment to a cause. Recently I openly wept at a Picturehouse promo featuring real fans speaking about their emotional connections to the cinema, positioning the screen itself as the heroic antagonist of their stories. That was brand fandom done beautifully.

On the flip side, don’t be afraid to identify a “villain”, something you stand against (fast fashion, unhealthy food, uninspired design, etc.) Enmity brings people together and activates fans too. Just...you know...be careful with that! Like Uncle Ben said, 'with great power comes great responsibility'.

Who, or what, are the heroes, antagonists and villains in your brand narrative?

6. Lean Into the Story

Your brand needs a narrative that moves people. It doesn’t have to be a literal story, but it needs to evoke emotion.

Are you selling adventure? Rebellion? Comfort? Belonging? There are lots of different versions of those things and many ways to tell your brand story in the light of them. Make people feel something, and they’ll stick around.

Check out classic storytelling resources such as Dan Harmon's story circle, and get your head in Joseph Cambells ‘The Hero with A Thousand Faces’ and learn what it is to tell a compelling story.

What methods, spaces or formats can you use to bring your brand's story to life?

5 Brands Winning at Fandom

Peloton: More than a stationary bike, it’s a lifestyle. The die-hard commitment to instructors and leaderboards shows just how deep fandom can run.

Or should I say, 'cycle'.

LEGO: A toy brand? No. A generational obsession that sparks creativity, nostalgia, and an entire community of builders. Sets of Lego passed down over decades and tapping into further fandoms by creating new sets from different worlds. 

Genius.

Picturehouse: World class example of getting input from audiences and following through with it. I know people who won’t go to the cinema unless it’s a Picturehouse. Their approach to marketing and the way they treat their fans has created lifelong dedication. Even bodily dedication in some. (I have a Duke of Yorks Picturehouse tattoo).

Coke/Pepsi: Like Britney once said ‘Pepsi is Pepsi’ but Pepsi drinkers won’t drink Coke and vice versa. The fact that there are ‘Coke drinkers’ and ‘Pepsi drinkers’ speaks volumes about the fandom surrounding the brands. 

Don’t ever say to them that they taste the same!

Disney: They’ve mastered almost every key driver of fandom culture. They have cultivated a multi-generational legacy, own an immersive ecosystem across global touch points, constantly and consistently deploy an epic breadth of storytelling, build expansive worlds that appeal to almost everyone, and use nostalgia recycling to reel older generations back in and appeal to younger ones. 

Their cultural mythology knows no bounds.

Is Fandom The Future of Brand?

Loyalty programs and discounts might get people to buy, but fandoms get people to belong. To stay.

In an era where visibility is fleeting and competition is fierce, where attention is currency, a sense of belonging is the ultimate marketing tool. Especially for challenger brands looking to take on established products and services.

Build a world, give your audience a way to belong to it, and let them help shape your brand’s story. Do it right, and you won’t just have customers, you’ll have an army of lifelong fans.

Ready to turn customers into lifelong fans? Build your brand fandom with us. diana@bethefox.co.uk