The Superfan Formula: unlocking revenue from loyalty in music
So, whats sparking your interest at the moment?
The last edition of The Superfan Formula sparked so much interest we felt we should expand on that subject. We highlighted that although the music industry is awash with data, it is primarily WHAT data, not WHY data.
WHY data, we argued, is more revealing as it is future-focused, about opportunity. We talked about the WHY being captured via qualitative research, but with so many types of qualitative research which approach is best equipped to really help understand the nuanced attitudes, customs, expectation and behaviours of the Superfan?
FINDING THE WHY
When most people think of qualitative research, they think of Focus Groups – you know, a group of people round a table discussing a particular topic. But although Focus Groups have their uses, they can also be dangerously misleading, so let’s investigate and see the options open to Rights holders seeking a deeper understanding of their Fans.
Focus Groups are about healthy, lively discourse, but what if certain fans in such groups may be ‘conflict-averse’? In that situation, a dominant member(s) in the group might influence or stifle more introverted personalities.
In that situation, we can end up with something called ‘Group-think’ rather than detailed, nuanced behaviour of different individuals.
Groups also rely on ‘reported behaviour’, over ‘actual behaviour’ which means what someone say’s they do (reported), is not necessarily what they ‘actually’ do. In research, this is known as the say:do gap. It can happen because in a group session, a Fan can be tempted to exaggerate their behaviour to compete with others in the group (after all, no one wants to be the least ‘Super’ in a group of Superfans!)
“...If we really want to understand the true passion of a Superfan, we need to spend real time with them in their own environment...”
SUPERFANS IN THEIR NATURAL HABITAT
If we really want to understand the true passion of a Superfan, we need to spend real time with them in their own environment and that's called Ethnographic insight. Ethnographic research involves studying individuals in their own environment to gain a comprehensive understanding of their overall lifestyle, behaviours, perspectives and values. It’s about getting to know the fan as an individual, crucial so that what we learn isn’t just in a vacuum but grounded in something deeper.
Meeting respondents in their environment enables us to experience a number of key aspects of Superfandom first hand. And interestingly, not just limited to their own personal perspective. For example, we can also talk to their family / friends about the Superfans love of the artist. What examples of irrational / quirky behaviour can they relay? How do they feel about the Superfan’s dedication to a particular artist?
Ideally, we’d visit Fans in their home for ethnographic research, but thats not always possible. Many of the artists we have worked with have reach across multiple, international markets so that's why we often use Digital Ethnography to understand those artist’s Superfans, globally. It’s an ingenious way to access the same level of depth, remotely.
We use an online platform, setting respondents a series of real world and multimedia exercises and questions. We’ll use differing techniques to access instinctive responses as well as techniques that elicit more rational responses. By conducting this with Superfans of different ages, genders, demographics, locations, etc we can build up a vivid and detailed portrait of a particular artist’s Superfans. A segmentation in fact.
Unlike the dry, cold, one-dimensional outputs of WHAT data, the outputs from this type of WHY data are so visual, expressive, colourful, emotive…well, human.