Why Irrational Fandom Builds Brands | with Ron Tite
Episode 10
Listening back to my conversation with Ron Tite on the Brand to Fan Show was incredible enlightening. I am amazed at the ways we connected the dots between the fandom of comedy, people, and how brands leverage fandom to grow.
Ron is the Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Church+State and he’s an expert in branding, marketing, and creativity. In this interview, he shared his unique perspective on the phenomenon of fandom and its potential impact on business. We delved into the world of comedy, particularly Bo Burnham's "Inside" special, and explored how the fan experience translates across different industries.
Throughout our conversation, we discussed the importance of authenticity and vulnerability in building genuine connections with fans. Ron emphasized that brands should strive to create a sense of belonging for their audience, which in turn fosters a strong emotional bond.
We also touched on the power of storytelling and how brands can use it to their advantage. Ron shared his thoughts on how sports teams, musicians, and even comedians can create compelling narratives that resonate with their audience and encourage loyalty. The key takeaway: weaving a captivating story around your brand can lead to dedicated fans who will advocate for you and help your business grow.
One intriguing point that has stayed with me is (again) how brands can tap into the irrational love and hope that defines true fandom. Ron explained that when brands scale great ideas and operationalize processes while staying true to their desired purpose, they can create fans who are genuinely dedicated.
Looking back on this engaging episode, I am reminded of the incredible potential that lies in harnessing the power of fandom for my own brand. Ron's insights have provided valuable guidance on how to build a dedicated following, and I am excited to apply these learnings to my own marketing efforts for FanWagn.
Don't miss out on this enlightening conversation with Ron Tite, where we uncover the secrets to turning customers into die-hard fans!
The Guest: Ron Tite
Ron Tite is founder of Church+State, host and executive producer of the hit podcast, “The Coup”, and publisher of This is That Travel Guide to Canada – a best-selling and award-winning satirical book. He has written for television. Penned a children’s book. Wrote, produced and performed a hit play. Created a branded art gallery. And was executive producer & host of the award-winning comedy show, Monkey Toast.
WHERE TO FIND Ron:
Ron’s Website
In this Episode
0:39 - Introducing Ron Tite
1:40 - What lies beneath brand loyalty
4:02 - The connection between comedy & brand fandom
9:53 - What happens when a brand aligns itself with certain beliefs
11:15 - 3 questions brands need to ask to stay relevant with stakeholders
14:47 - Taking what we’ve learned & using it to move forward productively
16:43 - Why the future of business comes from focusing on growth
19:33 - Using attention to drive brand conviction
22:48 - Finding the broken customer touchpoint & fixing it
26:32 - How a business won Ron over by building a personal relationship
36:05 - Ron’s favorite piece of fanwear
39:15 - TL;DL (too long; didn’t listen) Recap
What are you a fan of?
I'm a big fan of Bo Burnham. What I love about Bo Burnham is he went through the full circle He had something really unique. He was a YouTuber, and the haters came out of the woodwork and said he's not a real comedian because he's not doing live shows.
So he pivoted his business into kind of competing against all the other comedians, doing exactly what other comedians did. He still brought his kind of unique production value to it. But he did live shows…and kind of lost his way a little bit. It was still really funny stuff, but he himself wasn't fulfilled. At the end of that he quits standup comedyl Then over the pandemic, he reconnects to that sense of purpose of what he really got in it for. He goes back to the room and creates “Inside,” and it's his most brilliant work today.
It's nothing like any stand up comedian you've ever seen before. There's not a ton of laughs in there. It's a brilliant piece of art. I don't know that I would call it music, and I don't know that I would call a comedy, and I don't know that I would call it entertainment. It's Bo Burnham.
It's a sample of one and he just reconnected with that sense of purpose. I think and while everybody is so condition to develop a specific level of expertise, in doing that show, he wrote it, composed it, saying it, played it, lit it, shot it, mixed it, cut it. He did everything.
He had 6 Emmy nominations. He won for 3 for writing, directing and editing, which are never won by the same person.
And I just love that he is a population of one.
What is your favorite piece of Fanwear you own?
I'm a season ticket holder for the Toronto Blue Jays. I'm a massive baseball fan. I don't wear jersey when I go to games. I don't know why I just. I've never been a big Jersey guy.
But I'm very particular about my baseball hats. I have probably 25 Blue Jay's hats upstairs and I wear them all. But then I get really picky. For those who know, it has to be one unstructured, it's a floppy kind of baseball hat.
Not one of those wide brim hats that all the young kids wear. Now you look like a first round draft pick when you're wearing it. It's got to be mid crown, so it can't sit too high. It's got to be mid crown. It's not fitted. I don't like a fitted hat, because, like hair grows and I like an adjustable hat. I’m very specific, it's not easy to find mid-crown.
For Christmas this year my wife got me one because she found a mid crown Blue Jay's hat unstructured, adjustable at the tiniest of weird stores ever. But I that's what I wear to games. That's what I wear to social engagements that I shouldn't wear baseball caps, too. I'm a big hat guy.
Show Credits
Brand to Fan Show is produced by Teague FC and supported by FanWagn
Audio production by Bryan Griggs / Griggs Production
Producers: Kimberly Voorhis, Ashley Ruiz and Carrie Hellbusch
Video Editing by Garrett Teague
And I’m your host, Lauren Teague.