Fandom as a scalable predictor for loyalty, advocacy and spend
Editor’s note: Laura Vanison is VP, research and measurement, at Vevo.
From the Grateful Dead’s “Deadheads” to Lady Gaga’s “Little Monsters,” fandoms are the heartbeat of pop culture – communities built around identity, belonging and shared passion. Once expressed primarily through posters on bedroom walls or playlists on a phone, these connections now also live in data: streams, shares, searches and spending.
In today’s fragmented media landscape, fandoms are a unifying entity, revealing not just what people love but how fandoms transfer obsession into measurable behavior. As found in Vevo’s 2025 report, “Fandom = Cultural Currency,”which referenced a survey of more than 6,000 fans across the U.S., U.K. and Australia, fandom isn’t just a cultural force – it’s an economic one, turning passion into participation and participation into purchase.
This transformation from emotion to action is something researchers and marketers must (and increasingly can) quantify, as fandom reveals how cultural connection converts into measurable behavior.
The passion loop: From stream to spend
Fandom often unfolds through a sequence of discovery, engagement and conversion. In fact, more than half (52%) of fans watch related content on streaming platforms, and 44% search for related content on social media. Many (35%) revisit their favorite videos repeatedly, and more than a quarter (27%) ultimately convert their passion into purchases of licensed products and official collaborations across sports, music and entertainment.
This progression reflects what we can call the passion loop: the cyclical process of consuming, participating and investing. The more often fans interact with an artist or cultural moment, the more likely they are to translate emotional attachment into financial support.
When Oasis announced their reunion tour and tickets went on sale, for example, viewership of their music video catalog spiked more than 700% in the U.K. in just one week. This kind of response demonstrates that fandom is not a static audience, but a dynamic signal of momentum, capable of showing where attention and spending will move next.
Why fans spend: Emotion as a driver
Understanding the “why” behind fan behavior is as critical as the “what.” With 96% of consumers identifying as part of a fandom and 89% of music fans saying their fandom is central to their identity, loyalty is not a preference, but an expression of identity.
Fans don’t only buy because of discounts or convenience. They buy to belong. Merchandise, event tickets, and even brand partnerships become vehicles for self-expression. The phenomenon extends beyond entertainment. When Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter Tour” inspired Western-inspired fashion, it wasn’t just about music; it was a cultural moment that rippled through retail.
Emotional identity, representation, and belonging have evolved into quantifiable drivers of consumer behavior – the bridge between what people feel and how they spend.
Fandom as a leading indicator
Music fandom extends beyond music itself – it is the through line across film, fashion, gaming and sports. In the study, 68% of respondents saw a strong link between music and TV or film, 51% linked it to fashion and 45% to sports.
These overlaps show that fandom ecosystems are interconnected, where cultural signals move fluidly from one passion point to another. When fans rally behind a moment – a new release, a tour or collaboration – that energy often lifts entire categories.
That enthusiasm also carries measurable economic weight. Nearly 7 in 10 fans say they’re more likely to spend with brands that show up authentically in their fandom communities – whether through advertising around cultural moments or aligning with the creators driving them.
Fandom functions as a leading indicator of broader consumer shifts. Tracking these passion-driven spikes can reveal where culture, and therefore consumer spending, will move next.
Qual + quant: Turning passion into practice
In a time when algorithms dictate what we see and hear, fandom remains one of the few truly human forces in media. By combining qualitative understanding (what fans say) with quantitative signals (what fans do), marketers can better anticipate which cultural moments will ignite participation — and where commercial opportunities will likely follow.
Fandom captures what people care about most and what they’re willing to spend on. It’s a scalable predictor of loyalty, advocacy and spend.
The opportunity for marketers lies in treating passion not as noise, but as data. Every stream, post and piece of merchandise tells a story about emotional investment. The next step is to measure it with the same rigor as reach or recall.
Fandom isn't a niche. It’s the connective tissue of culture – and one of the most powerful indicators of what people will do, wear, watch and buy next.