Never have the people had so much choice over the media that they consume. And because of that never have the people had so much power to wield.
Especially the savviest of consumers, who use their intense passion about certain kinds of media to make or break opinion and success in Hollywood.
That was the biggest lesson I learned from attending the San Diego Comic Con on Sunday. The geeks have inherited the Earth (and I proudly count myself in that number) and have brought the beautiful people calling in order to curry favor.
There are a few grand unifying theories in my world, but one of them is that high school still defines most of us. The groups (call them cliques, call them tribes) that we gravitate toward help us to understand who we are when we are desperate to find out.
To know that outside group (comic book and genre fans, who for the most part are still on the fringes) is now the one being pandered to is a testament to the power of technology and the theories of the long tail and word-of-mouth marketing.
Speaking broadly, the group that loves comics and science fiction is typically more technological than the mainstream. They built the web as a gathering place where they could share not only their individual passions, but also be in a space that was more comfortable socially. Virtual sharing is lot less intimate, especially when you are dealing with the important currency of information.
What are Star Trek episode synopses, Star Wars character origins, comic book continuity and the intricacies of Japanese Anime but information? What is the greatest world for this information but the web?
But back to Comic Con. Once it was discovered that the web could be brought to bear to bring an audience to a film, then those fringe players – geeks, nerds, what have you – became key to the equation of how a movie was marketed.
Capture the voices at Comic Con, and especially capture their positive sentiment through their social network updates, and you were more ensured of a successful product than not.
Just from the buzz at this year’s Con and you can tell that The Walking Dead on AMC is going to be successful, while the Green Hornet movie with Seth Rogan is not.
What does this have to do with what Smirk New Media has to do?
Of course, we have questions.
What is the equivalent network for your business? Who are the opinion shapers? Where are they gathered? How are you going to reach them?
How are you listening to what those people are saying online? How do you appeal to what they want with your communication?
These are not easy questions or easy answers. Sometimes it helps to have a partner to help you ferret out those answers and find the right platforms for you, your business and the crowd around you.
That’s what I’m trying to do. Nerd legacy, Superman T-shirt and all.
Questions for me? Leave them below.