Samarth I Marketers can learn from sports fandom. By making customers feel like part of the team, brands can build long-lasting loyalty—and the stakes have never been higher.
In the 1990s, the marketing world was a far simpler place. Fans didn’t just wear a team jersey—they were living symbols of their favorite players, often swathed in signature products from Nike to Gatorade. The connection between consumer and brand was as real as Michael Jordan’s jump shot. But today, the landscape has fractured, leaving brands scrambling to reconnect with an ever more distracted audience.
As the NBA no longer has a singular dominant force, so too does the advertising industry lack the cultural giants of the past. But marketers need not settle for this fragmented reality. To reclaim loyalty, they must treat their customers like fans—true fans, not just buyers. This shift isn’t just a strategy; it’s a psychological need. Studies from PETERMAYER’s Brand Joy Lab show that consumers who feel like fans of a brand are more likely to remain loyal—and willing to pay more.
So how does a brand create this bond in a media ecosystem that is far more fragmented than the 90s? It starts with taking big creative risks. Brands must invite customers into the fold—not as passive consumers but as active participants in the story. This means more than offering a product—it means offering an experience, much like an NBA team offers an emotional rollercoaster at each game. Only when customers feel transformed by their interaction with the brand will they be moved to support it fiercely.
The key is authenticity: fans follow heroes, but they also relish the villains. Brands need to clearly stand for something—and by extension, against something. If a brand wants to champion the environment, waste should be its enemy. If it wants to embody joy, then adult responsibilities are the adversaries. In the end, emotional truth, not just sales pitches, will ignite the real fandom.
