Axios Event: Brand leaders emphasize the consumer value of fandoms

CANNES, France – Brands are focused on creating community and authentic experiences to turn customers into fans, marketing leaders said at a roundtable brunch hosted by Axios and Mastercard at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

Why it matters: By tapping into fandoms and relevant cultural moments, brands are finding new ways to connect with consumers in an era of endless content and increasingly limited attention spans.

Axios' Eleanor Hawkins and Kerry Flynn moderated the June 17 discussion, sponsored by Mastercard.

What they're saying: "I think you have to really find that space where culture meets whatever is relevant for your particular brand, and that's what we've been doing quite a bit this year," said Ulta Beauty chief marketing officer Kelly Mahoney.

• Ulta Beauty is showing up in places where its customers, fans and future fans might be, she explained – for example, the Super Bowl.
• "We showed up to celebrate women of and women in sports, helping them get ready for the win, helping them feel really great about going to the Super Bowl," she said, calling the moment an "incredible success."

The big picture: Fandom is built over time by developing a long-standing relationship with a community, event attendees said. Brands are building their own fan bases among customers and also harnessing the power of celebrity and sports fandoms.

• "Fandom is about value for an individual," said Bladimiar Norman, head of global marketing at Wondery. "We don't want to have a one-to-one relationship that ends on a singular purchase or a singular engagement … we want to have a long-standing relationship with a customer, and to do that, you have to provide real value for them, and create a community that they can actually engage with."

Several TV shows and movies at Paramount Streaming originated as fandoms before project development, helping the company build its customer base, chief marketing and data officer Domenic DiMeglio said.

• "You have to be nurturing those communities 24-7, 12 months a year," DiMeglio said. "You're trying to nurture that fandom all the time, and then over time it'll hopefully pay off."

Flashback: "The ultimate fandom for me is when fans create their own identity through your brand, and it becomes part of them, and then they shepherd it to new heights," said Mattel chief brand officer Lisa McKnight, who led the transformation of Barbie under the brand.

• When theatergoers decided to wear pink to see the "Barbie" movie, it did not involve the brand, McKnight said. "It just happened," she said.
• "The marketing benefit from a budget-and-spend standpoint and from an authenticity standpoint is immeasurable."