Beyond Followers to Fans – Hanna Park, CMO of bemyfriends, Presents Fandom Business Strategies for Global Growth at MAX SUMMIT 2023
by BEMYFRIENDS09.06.23
- Hanna Park, CMO of bemyfriends, shared the insights to accelerating growth for content creators, esports, and brands at MAX SUMMIT 2023
- Through a deep dive into global trends shaping fandom as the next-generation business strategy, Park emphasized that fandom transcends marketing.
SEOUL, KOREA - September 6, 2023 (Wednesday) - Hanna Park, the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of bemyfriends, recently addressed the audience at MAX SUMMIT 2023. The conference, which took place from August 31 to September 1 at ELTower in Yangjae, Seoul, featured Park's presentation titled "Beyond Followers to Fans: Fandom Business Strategies for Global Growth," emphasizing the pivotal role of fandom as a business strategy.
Now in its ninth year, MAX SUMMIT has established itself as Korea's leading marketing conference, hosted by digital marketing and adtech firm Mobidays. Focused on exploring both domestic and international marketing trends and opportunities, this year's event explored the question “What is the Next Momentum?”. MAX SUMMIT 2023 convened a distinguished panel of marketing experts from around the globe, including representatives from Google, Meta, TikTok, and Naver Webtoon, to discuss sustainable engines for marketing growth.
MAX SUMMIT 2023 delved into the challenges and opportunities marketers face in the era of privacy concerns and economic downturns, focusing on pathways to sustainable growth. Hanna Park was a featured speaker during the opening session of STAGE 6 on the first day of the conference. Drawing on her 17 years of global marketing and communication experience, she offered valuable insights into leveraging the fandom business as a sustainable business strategy.
"How many followers does your brand have on social media, and can you truly call all of these followers fans of your brand?" Park asked. In an era where marketers are zeroing in on boosting follower counts, views, and likes to keep pace with rapidly evolving trends, Park stressed the critical role of emotional engagement in converting followers into genuine fans.
"Fandom is becoming more influential across all industries as technology advances and hyper-connected societies emerge," said Park. "Fandom now knows no borders or language barriers. It's crucial for entertainment companies, content creators, esports organizations, and brands to consolidate and manage their global fandoms, both online and offline." Park also showcased the early successes of b.stage, an all-in-one fandom solution developed by bemyfriends, offering real-world examples of how the platform is aiding businesses in transforming their followers into committed fans.
To illustrate just how effective b.stage can be in engaging fans globally and diversifying business, Hanna Park pointed to the YouTube channel Osaka544, which has amassed over a million subscribers. Through their b.stage platform at 544.bstage.in, the channel ran a special event using the Survey feature. This led to fans in Canada not only winning prizes but also sharing their excitement and gratitude in the Community section. On another note, the K-Pop megastars ATEEZ showcased their global reach with their own b.stage at ateez.kqent.com. Here, fans worldwide participated in an event, interacting in multiple languages, and adding yet more evidence to the vital role that global fandom plays in today's business world.
"We view the fandom business as the next big thing in the business landscape," said Park. "Instead of conflating followers with fans, brands need to clearly differentiate and tailor their approaches to each group." She emphasized that for a business to truly succeed in any industry, it needs to fully grasp and interact meaningfully with its fan base.
"Ultimately, a happy fan base equates to a stronger business," she concludes. "Fandom shouldn't be viewed merely as a marketing gimmick for gathering more followers and boosting sales—it needs to be integral to a company's broader business strategy."
bemyfriends is actively partnering with both domestic and global clients across diverse fields, ranging from K-Pop to content creators, as a testament to the scalability of the fandom business. Recently, the company initiated a collaboration with TREASURE HUNTER, a leading MCN firm in Korea, aiming to construct a next-generation business model for creators and thereby stimulate innovation within the creator economy. Leveraging extensive expertise and experience in the fandom business, bemyfriends is committed to solidifying its role as a global leader in the global fandom business market.
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