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Fans and Fan Cultures pp 9–35Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Fans, Followers and Brand Advocates

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Abstract

The “fan” concept is multifaceted, and there are different ways of approaching the study of fans and fan cultures. There are both similarities and differences in how brand fans and more “traditional” fans behave, but it is also interesting to note how differently these types of fans are approached by brands and media producers. The terminology used in marketing and business literature is often vague and paradoxical, overlooking the aspects of resistance that are often integral to many fandoms. At the same time, businesses in their quest for a larger market share want fans, not customers, and brand advocates, not followers. But, with the popular image of the media geek in mind, why do they want fans? The most straightforward explanation is that their take on the fan concept is very selective, and rather one-dimensional, and very likely shaped by the “Facebook vocabulary.”

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of East London, London, UK

    Henrik Linden

  2. Goldsmiths, University of London, London, UK

    Sara Linden

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  1. Henrik Linden
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  2. Sara Linden
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Linden, H., Linden, S. (2017). Fans, Followers and Brand Advocates. In: Fans and Fan Cultures. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-50129-5_2

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