how to treat your fans
Marketers talk a lot about affinity - and quite rightly too. For something to be effective it needs to have a group of people who care about it. I’d rather call them fans.
To successfully sell a product, a band, a politcal party, an idea there needs to be a required level of fans. Building that fanbase is what a lot of people spend their whole time doing because it is essential to success. Since the world has gone 2.0 there are now a lot more channels to do this which makes the whole area fascinating.
However, there is a fundamental rule (with a few exceptions) which states that you should treat your fans with respect at every turn.
Which is why the John Sergeant withdrawl today is wrong. He has claimed that to go any further would be a joke too far. The facts are this; he is taking part in a popularity contest dressed up as a dance competition. The skill level of the dancing is irrelevant - this is entertainment. John is clearly the worst dancer on display but the viewers don’t care as he is providing great entertainment. There may also be an element of collective amusment at keeping the underdog in. But the point is that the show is driven by votes from viewers/fans and if they want John in, whatever the motivation, then he should stay.
By withdrawing he is effectively saying I don’t care about what you want, nor do I have much respect for the money you have spent keeping me on the programme. It is a snub, a clear message of unrequited passion from John to his fans.
When talking to your fans be very careful how you treat them if you have any intention of wanting them again in the future.
Tagged as affinity, BBC, fans, John Sergeant, marketing, presenter, respect + Categorized as service