The Future of Fan Engagement... And How to Tap Into It
Question. What is it that every band, brand, sports team, ad agency, and video production company wants more than anything else? The answer isn’t going to surprise you, but the way it’s achieved just might.
The Success Story Every Band, Brand, and Organization Wants
It’s a success. Preferably a raging, hold the front page, “oh-my-God I can’t believe how awesome that turned out” success story.
Now, success can mean different things to different people. Money. Fame. A growing and loyal international fanbase. Social media engagement. Stronger emotional connections. Maybe even world domination.
But whatever that definition may be, it all comes down to one simple factor – return on investment, or ROI. Anyone can be an international megastar if you throw Jeff Bezos money at them. But for your average band looking to break through and steal some of the limelight, money doesn't grow on trees. It takes a sharp strategy, the latest knowledge of social engagement, the willingness to explore untapped territories, and a grasp of the issues facing modern advertising and promotion - the biggest being a lack of authenticity.
The Authenticity Factor
Today's savvy consumers, and that includes fans, don’t like being advertised to. In fact, a recent New York Times article that is sending shockwaves through the industry shines a spotlight on the problem. People hate ads. They hate fakeness. They want something genuine. It’s something Cinebody has been warning brands about for some time.
And it’s the reason crowd-sourced videos are lightning in a bottle for everyone and anyone in music, sports, entertainment, and, well, any brand or organization looking to grow a fanbase.
In 2018, the alt band from Huntington Beach…
wanted something a little different for their next music video. Something raw, real, and fan-centric. So, they approached Cinebody to utilize its User-Directed Content process.
The Dirty Heads' Success Story
The word went out to fans calling for help filming their tour. The response was overwhelming. Over 1,500 fans from 99 cities around the globe answered the call. And that sparked an idea that became a social media sensation for the Dirty Heads.
Across Instagram, Facebook and YouTube it generated 8,000 likes, 1,000 shares, 400 comments and almost 250,000 views. And it was at least five times more popular than all but one of the videos the band uploaded to YouTube in 2018.
The message was received loud and clear, and other artists sat up and took notice. This kind of authentic, fan-filmed content was engaging fans like never before.
The band asked fans to film themselves singing along to “Visions,” their new single. What they got back was a massive library of content that could have filled dozens of videos. And as the features of the Cinebody software ensure a lightning-fast turnaround, the spot was finished in record time, and released on social to the kind of response every band dreams of.
And it wasn’t long before other artists including Motionless in White, Flogging Molly, Pepper, Iration, ODESZA, Rebelution, Escape the Fate, Durand Jones & the Indications, The Goo Goo Dolls, Zomboy, Wisin, and Yandel were all enthusiastic Cinebody clients. Impressive? Yeah. But if you want to go even bigger, how about a name like...Slash?
Fan-Captured Footage Chronicles Slash's World Tour
The guitar genius, who was inducted into the Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame in 2012, has always been driven by the passion of his fans. And so when it came time to film his massive 2019 world tour, he didn’t look to high-end Hollywood productions and glossy studios. He wanted this to be filmed by fans, for fans, to really capture the intensity, enthusiasm, and point-of-view that only genuine fans can capture - from the journey to the concert, to the frenzied energy of the mosh pit.
After a hugely successful test drive of Cinebody at his 2018 Hollywood Palladium Show, Slash knew this kind of content was the only way to go. The content from that show alone was something he’d never seen before. From a female fan stripping off her shirt in the parking lot, to a guy rocking devil horns in his car, it was not the cookie-cutter footage you’ll see in most music videos. This was the real deal...literally.
“It was great to involve the fans to make this video,” Slash told Rolling Stone magazine in November 2018. “They did an awesome job!”
So awesome that the amazing video produced equally amazing results. The average interaction with the videos on Facebook was phenomenal – 2.2k likes, 162 comments, 411 shares, and 58.6k views. Twitter and Instagram posts were just as popular.
And the world tour videos that were subsequently produced using footage from Slash’s fans in Asia, Europe, Latin America, and North America prove just how right the axeman was to bring Cinebody into the mix.
In a nutshell, what both Dirty Heads and Slash discovered is that you can get incredible results from your very own fans, without having to spend a fraction of the money of a traditional shoot. It’s quicker. It’s easier. It’s available around the world to anyone with a smartphone. It’s basically the solution everyone has been looking for, but only a select few have dared to try.
Engaging Fans Across Industries
It's important to note that fan engagement through user-directed content extends beyond the music industry. Almost every industry imaginable can benefit from this approach.
Consider Cheyenne Frontier Days, a historic Wyoming event that attracts people from miles away. The festival's agency, West End Collective, recognized the unique opportunity to leverage Cinebody to capture the energy and excitement generated by the festival's 200,000+ attendees.
Their strategy proved to be spot on.Using the Cinebody software, the agency collected over 800 clips from more than 180 attendees, and quickly edited the footage into polished,almost-live videos that Cheyenne Frontier Days shared on their social channels while the festival was still happening.
And they were spot on with that strategy. Through the Cinebody software, the agency collected over 800 clips from more than 180 attendees, and quickly edited the footage into polished, almost-live videos that Cheyenne Frontier Days shared on their social channels while the festival was still happening.
That last point is key, by the way. People don’t just want genuine content. They want a steady stream of it, and they want it as fresh as they can get. Videos posted a week or two after the event just don’t cut it. Videos posted during the event...well, they get attention, they get shared, and they bring in more people to the channel and the event itself.
Another event that tapped into that “almost live” quality was the Mile High 25 fly fishing competition. In this instance, Cinebody was harnessed in a completely different, but equally effective, way. Fly fishers could upload video evidence of their catches and the organizers could check off their scavenger hunt results in real time. But the content went way beyond the competition itself. Due to the fun and fan-centric nature of the videos, they were perfect for social media, engaging followers in real-time and keeping all eyes on the prize. And after the event, recap videos of the event were easy to put together due to the vast amount of content that was gathered through the Cinebody software.
The results speak for themselves.
And if you’ve read this far, the burning question you probably have right now is “how do I utilize this for my own band, brand, or event?”
Obviously, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution, and that’s the beauty of Cinebody. It can be tailored to whatever kind of event or brand you’re looking to promote
For example, if it’s a sporting event, consider what you want to capture from it. Is it the energy and enthusiasm of the crowd? Is it the passion the fans have, both leading up to, during, and after the event? Is it getting into the thick of the action?
If it’s a festival or tourism video, do you need to bring local vendors into the mix? Is it worth sending out a call to action to people around the country, or even the world, to film their journey to and from the festival itself?
Your strategy, and your end product, be it a video, a web series, or a social campaign, will dictate how you tap into the fans and what incentives you give them for agreeing to take part. Remember, in most cases fans are psyched just to be a part of something they love so much already. But, it doesn’t hurt to sweeten the pot with merchandise and other goodies.
And above all, remember the key benefits of harnessing User-Directed Content.
First and foremost, its biggest advantage over traditional ways of capturing footage is that it’s all done by your fans. You don’t need a crew. You don’t need equipment rental. You don’t need location scouts and fees. Anyone with a smartphone can do this for you. And as the quality of smartphone footage is so good these days, and 5G speeds are producing lightning-fast uploads and downloads, you have access to incredible footage almost immediately after it’s been filmed.
Plus, not only can you direct the fans in real-time, you can also specify the orientation, resolution, and frame rate. This makes mixing their footage with other content seamless.
Finally, there are no limits to the number of projects you can run simultaneously. Unlike the handcuffs of a traditional shoot, you can seed projects far and wide to a host of different fans on different videos. The footage will come in thick and fast, and it will enable you to build an arsenal of timely, high-quality content that can keep fans engaged day in, day out. Yes, the future of fan engagement is here. It’s ready and waiting. All you have to do is pull the trigger.
