Building Fandom
Today's brands need more than loyalty, they need fans.

For the next three months, B-Sides will take a look at the evolution of the brand in a three-part series. In April and May editions, look for discussions on building a legion of brand fans and what to do with them.

In the beginning, there was the product. This can be a service like car repair, an item like a cell-phone case, or a mission like ending hunger. Your business is built on offering a product that is innovative, unique or absent in the marketplace, thus desired by your customers or donors.

While some products are so stellar they practically sell themselves, even those products need marketing. There was a time when using marketing and advertising to highlight the exceptional qualities of your product was enough. That time is long gone. For decades, associations have been made with things outside of the product - lifestyle, sexuality, self image - to build brand loyalty. That, too, is changing.

Brand loyalty is trusting the value of the product enough to purchase it exclusively over comparable products. Some people only buy Viva paper towels, some are Coke loyalists, and some only buy Ford. These people have had positive experiences with the products offered by these brands, so they continue to patronize them. This has long been the goal of marketing these brands.

Today, however, something more is expected: fandom. Upon first glance, brand fandom looks a lot like rabid loyalty. In part, it is. But there truly is something more. Think of bands or sports teams and their fans. These folks wear t-shirts, they put stickers on their cars, and they proselytize the brand to those they know. Countless arguments have been had about the talent of one band over another, the championship chances of one team over a competitor. Sure, these fans are loyal, but their brand allegiance extends far deeper than the way people are loyal to Viva over Brawny. Have you ever seen someone wearing a t-shirt for either?

People don't wear t-shirts associated with paper towels because those brands don't build any of the qualities into their brand that inspires fandom. And really, they don't have to and probably would be wisely advised against it. They are utilitarian, everyday purchases that we feel we have to make. Their audience is the entire population, and they only need to differentiate themselves from others offering pretty much the same thing on the shelf.

While there are countless attributes that can inspire fandom, we recognize three majors:

• Values To get people to wear your brand on a t-shirt, they must identify with your values. And for them to identify with your values, you must express them. Do not confuse this with politics; companies that take political stances run the risk of raising stronger ire than admiration. A good example of a company with stated values is the apparel producer Patagonia. They wear their environmentalism on their sleeve, and so do their customers. Even if only a portion of your customers identify with your stated values, that portion will do so with such fervor that they will advertise for you, which is invaluable.
  
  
• Authenticity Just as Holden Caulfield in JD Salinger's A Catcher in the Rye detested phonies, so do many of today's consumers. The easy answer to "What makes a brand phony?" is not living up to its purported values. Google presents itself as a progressive company with the goal of not being evil. So, when Google was allowing itself to be censored by China, many Google advocates became detractors. Recently, following a state-supported cyber attack, Google pulled out of China, losing access to the largest consumer base in the world. As a result, countless Chinese have a rabid fandom of Google, seeing them take a stand in a way they can't, and people worldwide that don't support China's human rights issues likely feel similar. They took a major step towards authenticity by taking a business risk to take a stand. But you are not Google; you are not taking on China. Instead, be real and stay true to your stated values.
  
  
• Connection There is a certain intangible in this quality that inspires fandom. For sports, it can be geographical. Or maybe your grandpa was a Pirates fan, so you are as well. For bands, you can perhaps identify with the style of clothes, the image, the lyrics, the sorrow - something. By being truly authentic, the brand will have a genuine personality with attributes folks will identify with. But this can't really be manufactured, or it will appear inauthentic.

Next month, B-Sides will attack all the ways you can build fandom once you've set your brand identity to include these qualities.


In The Know
The City of Fort Collins wants you to help plan our future.

Have you ever tried to picture what Fort Collins would look like 50 years from today? If you're thinking hover cars and space travel you may be on the right track. The city, however, is taking a more logical look into the future and asking the Fort Collins community what the future residents of Fort Collins will need.

Plan Fort Collins is a city planning initiative that began in January. Currently the plan is in its development stage and the City is asking residents to help them discover what the future holds for this town. Fort Collins is experiencing changing demographics and an emerging "creative class," a workforce consisting of a range of occupations (scientists, engineers, education, etc.) whose primary job function is to be creative and innovative, according to the Snapshot Report, drafted by Plan Fort Collins. The community is moving forward and the city is ready to plan for the future. Topics up for discussion include everything from land use, to arts and culture, and transportation (no, not hover cars).

Community members can get involved in a number of ways. Focus groups in different areas such as energy and youth are currently going on and community members are encouraged to voice their ideas and concerns. Also, a draft of the community Snapshot Report, a report analyzing the upcoming challenges and opportunities for Fort Collins future, is online for the community to read and respond to at www.fcgov.com/planfortcollins. Community input will help Plan Fort Collins accurately address community needs.

Plan Fort Collins aims to have a city plan adopted by January 2011 that will address community needs and changes over the next 5, 25 and 50 years. One hot button topic that Plan Fort Collins looks to explore is economic, community and environmental sustainability. Plan Fort Collins does not want to leave anything out in planning for the City's future and community involvement is an important component in the plan's development. Speak now, dear readers and community members, or forever hold your peace.




The Hook Up
Here are a few of the events in April that we think you should try:

City of Fort Collins EnvirOvation: Thursday, April 8
3:00 pm- 5:00pm
Drake Center, 802 W. Drake Road, Fort Collins
EnvirOvation - A Climate Wise Showcase. This annual event recognizes organizational commitment and green initiatives by local businesses and organizations. A-Train Marketing will be celebrating our second year as a Silver Partner! Free and open to the public, come and discover how these organizations are transforming their operations and contributing to the environmental and economic sustainability of Fort Collins. Presentations by Mayor Doug Hutchinson and City Manager Darin Atteberry recognize the contributions by all Climate Wise partners and highlight top-level partner milestones that led to tangible results and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. The event also features a selected Climate Wise business partner, who offers insights on environmental stewardship with attendees.

Masks at MOCA: Exhibition and Silent Auction: April 2 - May 7
Fort Collins Museum of Contemporary Art
201 S. College Avenue, Fort Collins
Masks at MOCA is an annual fundraiser that provides nearly one-third of the museum's budget. 150 community artists are chosen to create works of art that are exhibited the month of April. During the month, masks are bid on in a silent auction. A gala is held one week prior to the close of the exhibit where a live auction of about 15 of the masks takes place. The silent auction of the masks at the museum closes during the First Friday Gallery Walk held in May. Mask sponsors, gala ticket sales and the auction sales provide the income for the event. For more details, visit www.fcmoca.org.

Fort Collins Music Experience (FoCoMX): Friday, April 9 & Saturday, April 10
FoCoMX is back for its second year! Even bigger than last year, this year will feature 150 bands at 15 different venues all for only $15! Come out April 9 and 10 and celebrate Northern Colorado's amazing music scene! To learn more or purchase tickets visit: www.focomx.org.

The Taste: Thursday, April 29
5:00 pm - 9:00 pm (VIP Admission) $95.00 per person for VIP ticket
6:00 pm - 9:00 pm (General Admission) $65.00 per person for GA ticket
Hilton Fort Collins, 425 W Prospect Road, Fort Collins
The Taste is your opportunity to sample the amazing offerings of many of our finest locally owned restaurants, wineries and breweries along with a silent auction, and live music by Mark Sloniker and friends. The Taste is an annual charity event benefiting Food Bank for Larimer County and Neighbor to Neighbor to help struggling families in Larimer County meet their basic needs for food and housing. To learn more and buy tickets visit: www.tastebenefit.org.

6th Annual ART-a-THON: Saturday, April 17
9:00 am to 9:00 pm
Poudre River Arts Center, 402 N. College Avenue, Fort Collins
Each year, the Colorado Coalition of Artists' main fundraiser is a unique and interesting event called the ART-a-THON. Come grab some free BBQ, listen to live music and witness artists creating work for 12 hours non-stop. There are also opportunities to sponsor an artist either by the hour or for a flat donation. To find out more visit: www.cocoaart.com.


A-Train Update
Spring Into Giving round-up:

Larimer County's first ever Pro Bono Auction was held on March 6 and raised more than $100,000 in cash and service contributions. That total combined with great food, live music and a strong turn out made the auction a resounding success! The donations will directly benefit the 12 local nonprofits that were designated by winning bidders.

Spring Into Giving, organized by A-Train Marketing and the United Way of Larimer County, matched the needs of local non-profits with pro bono services from area businesses. Services were bundled into groups like Events, Marketing  Infrastructure with the intent to secure services that non-profits not only need, but also have a difficult time finding grant or budget dollars to support.

Additionally, the event provided a launch pad for United Way to introduce its new skills-based giving program through the United Way Volunteer Center, which will pair non-profits with the support and expertise they need by identifying volunteers who have an organization's desired skill set.

A-Train was excited to co-host the event with the Volunteer Center because the purpose of the auction fits so well with our commitment to drive the greater good in our community. Highlighting a way for businesses to support our non-profits in these difficult economic times and supporting a long-term effort to foster pro bono giving and skill-based volunteerism just makes good sense to us.

We want to recognize the generous contributions of event sponsors that made the auction possible, and extend our sincere thanks to the 50 area businesses that joined us in acknowledging the value of our local non-profits by contributing their talent. Sponsors of the event include A-Train Marketing, New Belgium Brewing Co., Food for Thought Catering, Cache Bank & Trust, United Way of Larimer County, Chimney Park Restaurant & Bar, Caldera Creative Services and RC Special Events.

In addition to event sponsors, over 50 local businesses contributed to Spring Into Giving, helping make it a success. They include: A-Train Marketing, Alie Rich, Alpine Gardens, Art Bavoso, Third Sector Enterprises, Ava Diamond, Diamond Success Group, Avanti Bodywork, Benjamin Franklin Plumbing, Better Books, Business Card Factory, Dr. Brian Cox, Broadreach Recruiting & Consulting, C&H Carpet and Furniture Cleaning, Inc., Caddis Technologies, Caldera Creative Services, Cache Bank & Trust, Certified Mechanical, LLC., Chimney Park Restaurant & Bar, Chris Hansen of Premier Employment Screening, Citizen Printing, City of Fort Collins Recreational Department, ColorPro Printing, Definite Productions, Demma Consulting, Divine Light Reiki and Massage, EKS&H, Food for Thought Catering, Greg Fuhrman of Fuhrman Consulting, Heidi Muller Photography, High 5 Productions, IBMC, Irwin Family Chiropractic, JCL, KRFC 88.9 FM Community Radio, The Light Center, Linda Gabel of Gabel Financial Resources, Maximum Painting, Mister Sparky Electric, The Neenan Company, New Belgium Engineering Team, Northern Colorado Business Report, RC Special Events, Richard Mauro Ricchiuti, Rickards, Long & Rulon, LLP, Rob's Bike Courier Services, Shirley Esterly, Quantum West, Inc., Sign-A-Rama, VanPelt Photography, Vaught Frye Ripley Design, Inc., Virsage Solutions, The Washouse, Zero Hero Events.

Email comments to josh@atrainmarketing.com.