Comments on: You Don’t Need Fans, You Need Junkies

By: Scott Gould

Scott Gould — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:07:33 +0000

Hi Matt,
Good insight. “The good thing about junkies is that they will seek you out. They really, really, really want what you got. They are also willing to pay and, bad for them but good for you”
I read once about dominating a niche by focussing tightly, outdoing your competitors with your service, and documenting your results so well that no one can deny your offering.
The fact is a fan can miss a game, miss a concert, etc. BUt a junkie comes running daily (or hourly) to get their fix. Thing is, we then need to be provide addictive offerings. And by addiction that necessitates giving the addict enough that they get a little satisafaction, but get hungry for more very quickly.

By: Matthew T. Grant

Matthew T. Grant — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 20:25:04 +0000

Thanks for the comment, Mike.
I’m glad to hear that you share my sense that fandom is “losing its edge” and that what brands should aim for is cultivating a “loyalty that goes beyond the rational.”
At the same time, I think that the aspect of the “junk” metaphor that people should focus on is that of “dependence.” You want to become an essential, irreplaceable part of your customer’s business or life. You want them to depend on you in every sense of the word. Ideally, your stuff will be so good and so powerful that people just can’t do without it. They’ll be hooked.
On another note, I agree that the last thing we need are brand hooligans.

By: Mike O'Toole

Mike O'Toole — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 17:41:50 +0000

Matt,
I like the fan/junkie analogy quite a bit. It is too easy to be a fan today (I’m a fan of hugs, rainbows, and unicorns on FB), and the term is losing its edge. I was thinking of brands present (Apple) and past (Saturn) that have achieved junk (in the best possible sense) status, and they do/did engender a loyalty that goes beyond the rational. There is a satisfying-my-fix quality to People who queue up for hours in front of the Apple store, or Saturn owners who took their Summer vacation in Spring Hill, Tennessee. The other think about junkie customers is they will stay loyal to the brand in tough times, which is why I think Roger Penske will be able to revive the Saturn brand. One question, though. Isn’t the extreme form of fandom hooliganism? And hooligans will do anything for their team (or company)? Perhaps a different analogy with just as much baggage.