How fan-first strategies can enable brands to harness the power of fandom
Image via someofakind at Unsplash
Following their latest insights event last week, Louisa O’Connor, managing director of Seen Presents, shares why fan-first brand experiences are key to cutting through the noise in 2025.
We are living in an increasingly fragmented cultural landscape. There is a growing emotional disconnect between brands and consumers as people are feeling increasingly misunderstood or misrepresented.
Traditional advertising methods no longer hold the same influence or relevance as they once did and are failing to cut through the digital overload.
While there are numerous cultural shifts shaping the modern consumer landscape, three areas are having the most profound impact on the growing disconnect between brands and their audiences:
Hopping on Trends: Brands are using trends to capitalise on culture without meaningfully contributing to it, which erodes trust and brand loyalty.
Digital Brain Rot: Consumers are deteriorating from excessive consumption of trivial or unchallenging material. In 2024, a survey by Foresight Factory revealed 40% of UK consumers feel that content has worsened over the last five years, leaving consumers craving valuable brand interactions.
Loneliness: Despite being more digitally connected than ever, younger generations are facing record levels of isolation, with 80% of Gen Z and 72% of Millennials reporting experiencing loneliness.
So, it’s not surprising that traditional marketing budgets are shrinking overall (by 4.8% in Q1 2025 – according to the IPA Bellwether Report).