A Cry For Help: How Come Calling Customers "Fans" Isn't Sitting Right With Me?
Jack Westerkamp, Co-Founder
I have no idea why this is something I care so much about. If a therapist or someone wants to assess this as some sort of deeper issue in my psyche, I’m open to an evaluation.
McDonald’s has been under fire recently because a bunch of people are getting food poisoning.
I saw this X post (shoutout to me for not making a “Twitter” / “X” joke) from McDonald’s that included a graphic calling their customers “fans”.
The concept of turning customers into fans of a brand isn’t necessarily new. This Forbes article from 2021 that I skimmed discusses the concept of getting customers to advocate for your brand and make it feel like you’re “part of the team” in a sense.
There’s a part of me that thinks it’s pretty cringe to call your customers “fans”, but then again, 80% of my personality revolves around Starbucks coffee. So I may be taking the bait. But when I read this McDonald’s apology to their “fans”, I’m not going to lie, I did a little scoff. I’m not one to scoff often (scofften), but when I do, it’s usually for good reason. I just don’t really care to be called a fan of McDonald’s by McDonald’s. It just feels a bit forced. That’s just one man’s opinion on the matter. I’m fine with just being a customer, ya know? “It’s not that deep” as the kids say.
So, how do you continue to build that brand loyalty and continue to have consumers advocating for your product and recommending it to friends? It comes back to having some self awareness as a brand and really understanding your audience. Is your customer coming back to you time and time again because they feel like they’re part of the team? Or is it because of the consistency in your product, the quality of it, and the way the product makes the customer feel?
Every brand wants to build loyalty beyond that initial purchase, but is it worth the squeeze of trying to create a full on fandom around your brand? I’m sure plenty of marketers may read that and say “OF COURSE IT’S WORTH IT!” But to someone who is an actual consumer and not really a marketer, I’m not really on board with being called a fan nor do I want to be. Because I will then compare it to my other fandoms, like being a fan of the Chicago Bears. Or being a fan of Miles Teller. These are people/teams I am actively rooting for and have set a high standard for (not so much in the case of the Bears). So, if you’re a brand and ready to call your consumers “fans”, you have just subconsciously raised your bar to a level that may not always be achievable.
This all feels a bit cynical on my end but I really am turned off by the lack of self awareness from brands sometimes. I really think there can be benefits of trying less or not being so intentional about creating this raving group of supporters for the brand. There is something to be said about the unspoken word of having a product and brand so awesome, that you don’t need to call out the “fans” to have increased advocacy levels from consumers.
Whether or not you agree with it, this is my opinion and I’m sticking to it. If I’m wrong, let me know.
- Jack
