Did Comic-Con Culture Save Basic Cable?

Everyone in Geek Culture knows that the “Comic Convention Season” revs into high gear this weekend with the Emerald City Comicon. The annual Seattle show used to be one of the many small conventions, but now we all are reevaluating that notion. Last year 64,000 fans attended, and this year it’s already a sellout.

Geek Culture’s prepared for a busy year, with weekend after weekend of comic conventions across the nation. And that’s right up through December. But beyond the nerds-in-the-know, smart brands and marketers have figured out this “secret” too. They know that the passionate fans who attend conventions, or visit one of the 2,000 local comic shops weekly, not only engage with brands they like, but they help spread the brands’ messages.

In fact, this morning’s New York Times talks about the rise of basic cable shows, and laments the passing of one of our favorites; USA’s “Psych.” This fun-loving comedy-detective show never takes the plots too seriously, but star James Roday explains they never took success seriously – until they went to Comic-Con.

The Times reports:
It took a trip to Comic-Con in San Diego in 2009 to drive home that they had a cult following. “We were all worried, because they told us they had put us in the second-biggest ballroom for a panel, which held like 5,000 people,” Mr. Roday said. “And we were like, ‘This is going to be a nightmare; we’re going to walk out, and there’s going to be 400 people scattered about a 5,000-seat ballroom, and it’s going to be humiliating.’ ” Instead, the place was packed.

They knew they had scored a hit, and USA consistently returned to the epicenter of Geek Culture to engage their fans to help spread the word about the show. Each year they’d use their Comic-Con panel for major announcements, like adding William Shatner to the cast or creating their musical theater episode.

To USA, the lesson was clear: if you reach out to passionate fans in authentic ways, they’ll help you amplify your brand’s message. That’s exactly what we at Bonfire talk to brands about every day.

Have you reached out to these passionate fans yet? We’re here to help you do just that!

Oh, and for the full article just click here.