Despite what you might have read in the news, the streaming wars rage on. Franchises and content catalogs may have once fueled the arms race for subscribers, but Brand Fandom is proving to be a key differentiator as streaming services look to embed themselves further into viewers’ lives, increasing loyalty and engagement.
MarketCast’s Fandom Model (part of our Brand Tracking+ research solution) reveals multiple ways for brands and marketers to turn consumers into long-term fans by tapping our three Fandom pillars: Presence, Distinction, and Relevance.
Here, There, and Everywhere
As you’d expect from the House of Mouse (Disney+) and streaming’s OG (Netflix) saturate the market with PR, social buzz, ad spend, and big content releases. While these tactics work broadly to ensure recognition in a crowded market and infiltrate consumer consciousness, as we’ve seen in other categories, overall Fandom isn’t dictated by Brand Presence alone.
According to our ad performance data, Peacock’s ads have strong message linkage and overall likeability, contributing to the strongest advertising Presence score. This is likely aided by their advertising reach on Linear and Cable TV through promotions on NBC-owned properties, including Bravo, Telemundo, and MSNBC. Additionally, Peacock’s outstanding coverage of the 2024 Summer Olympics is expected to drive even more awareness and boost subscriptions.
Amazon’s Prime Video may be the “least talked-about brand” among audiences we surveyed, but is one of the most familiar brands, thanks in part to its influencer strategy and high-profile events for its Amazon Originals titles, like “Saltburn.”
Standing Out From the Pack
MarketCast’s Fandom Distinction metrics gauge how unique, attractive, and authentic a brand is to consumers. These days, being unique in the streaming world means doing specific genres well, investing in diverse talent, or making very smart bets on original content.
According to MarketCast’s research, Hulu is credited as being an authentic brand for its diverse content, reflecting real-life experiences and contemporary issues through original series like “The Bear,” “UnPrisoned,” and “Reservation Dogs,” resonating with viewers through underrepresented stories and voices.
It’s easy to dismiss Netflix’s status and dominance as the incumbent streamer, but you cannot ignore its social strategy and focus on inclusivity that represents its diverse content and fans. With dedicated social hubs for fans of gaming (@netflixgeeked) or comedy (@netflixisajoke) to the LGBTQ+ community (@most) or the Black community (@strongblacklead), these sub-accounts experience higher engagement rates than Netflix’s official account because they authentically target these groups with the right content.
Staying Relevant
Our Fandom model shows that Relevance is key to building brand fans. Strong relevancy is driven by perceptions that consumers are proud to be associated with a brand and feel valued. Relevance also takes into account how a brand fits into its consumers’ daily lives.
In this category, Amazon’s Prime Video is recognized for its role in simplifying consumers’ lives. It stands out by combining streaming services with Prime benefits such as free shipping and exclusive content, broadening its service offerings beyond streaming.
Although streaming has some of the highest Fandom scores of all brands that we included in our study, fans are developed by creating a relevant and distinctive relationship that consumers are proud to be a part of.
How does your Brand Fandom measure up? MarketCast uses its Brand Tracking+ solution and its unique Fandom Model to study a wide range of brands across categories, from QSR to Insurance and Banking, Automotive, and Entertainment. Contact us to learn more.