Fan Engagement Strategy - D23 Intern Project

Transcript

1. FAN ENGAGEMENT by Bernadette Velasco Insights & Implementations Partnerships Intern, Spring 2025
2. ABOUT ME • CSU Fullerton — Communications Major with emphasis in Entertainment & Tourism — Graduate May 2025 • Organized Creative with an interest in creative marketing strategy & project management. • I love being a Disney fan and I love catering to fans!
3. About the project My prompt was to research fan engagement practices & implement them to D23. Taking it a step further, I want to connect fan engagement to our initiative of gold member acquisition.
4. What makes D23 unique? Compared to other Disney business lines, how do we stand out? Our current fan engagement is predominantly passive (watching panels/shopping). They can have these engagements with other Disney segments (watch Disney+, go to the parks for seasonal merch). As disposable income decreases, Disney fans will have to decide: do they want a $50 D23 gold membership or 3 months of Disney+? $200 D23 gold membership or a $200 theme park ticket? What makes us unique will determine whether our fans join our membership, and that uniqueness is …
5. COMMUNITY! We are a fanclub — there is opportunity for ACTIVE fan engagement that is both social & global. The stronger the engagement, the more exclusive the community becomes, leading to general member conversion and gold member retention.
6. Events Researched 407k+ attendees 214k+ followers 3-5k attendees 135k attendees 5.9m viewers
7. 3 Insights
8. Reward fans for their enthusiasm. The best rewards embed them into the story. 1
9. 3 minutes per party 2 case studies on how rewarding your fans rewards us. 700k views
10. Influencers are not advertisers. They are community leaders. 2
11. 20k discord members 760k+ views
12. 33k+ views 6k+ views Decade-long program
13. Exclusivity can be created through immediate activities, not just merchandise & photos. 3
14. 223.3k+ views 5k+ attendees
15. Implementation for D23 2 opportunities for engagement
16. COSPLAYERS
17. DEDICATED COSPLAYER PHOTO OPS UGC Fan Media + Community Building • Could be smaller, more immersive ops like the Beauty Con Creator Studio. • Dedicated to cosplayers, they can reserve time slots with professional photographers. • Synergy opportunity - each photo op themed after a franchise. • Great area for cosplay meet-ups. • Use #D23Cosplay2025 for the chance to be randomly reposted on D23 IG Stories.
18. COSPLAY ROYALTY Community Building through Influencers • Cosplay Princesses, Princes, or Royalty: cosplay in fl uencers who are role models & want to share their sewing/storytelling tips & tricks. • Inspired by Anime Expo’s Cosplay Senpais; think Disney Cast Member Ambassadors, but for Disney fans. • Previous Mousequerade winners, prominent Disney Cosplayer in fl uencers like @_alexandra.louise__ or @DaisyGodiva. • Activities • Co-host cosplay meet-ups with icebreakers and photo pose guidance. • Lead the way for cosplay parades. • Co-host panels discussing their craft & expertise.
19. CHARACTER / COSPLAY WALKWAYS Organic Interactions + Earned Media • Character & Cosplay interactions foster community and bring the story closer to our audience, rewarding fans. • Cosplay parade hosted after Mousequerade with all contestants as a fi nal hurrah, or integrate a D23 Cosplay Parade during other D23 events. • Cosplay Royalty can lead the parade & act as spokespeople for media. • Character Actor walkways can facilitate quicker interactions and prevent crowding, distinguish actors from cosplayers. • Similar to Fantasyland characters free-roaming before they go to meet-and-greets.
20. ONLINE COMMUNITY
21. UGC SPOTLIGHT UGC Fan Media + Community Building • Inspired by Sorcerer’s Workshop screens & how it spotlights creative work. • High Effort • Submit fan art, cosplay photos, etc. to be broadcast as a pre-show reel, for continuous broadcasting in fan lounges/throughout convention fl oor, on D23 website and through livestream. • Can be framed as a contest since all content will need to be vetted for appropriateness - provide prompts or color swatches to artists/cosplayers to ensure a cohesive theme. • Low lift • Monthly spotlight of randomly selected fanart/cosplays from D23 general members
22. MISC. IDEAS LOW EFFORT • General Member Hurrah: celebratory pop- up when you sign up as general member • Engage livestream watchers through app engagements that trigger on-show moments (chant into mic, press a button, etc). • Member Directory: promote online community by allowing people with D23 apps to create accounts, share information, and fi nd more Disney friends! Give them resources to coordinate their own meet-ups. • Recycling “raf fl e” - each item recycled = one entry to win a prize • Teaching Lightsaber Fight Choreography, in partnership with Saber Comp ( fi lm festival competition judging fan-made lightsaber fi ght choreography videos). • Disney’s version of Dreamstage: singing competition to be part of opening ceremony ensemble for TUDFE (songs can be Under the Sea, Belle — anything ensemble-heavy). MEDIUM EFFORT HIGH EFFORT
23. Final Thoughts A marketing strategy based on community building is hard to commit. It takes a long time to see the outcome, it’s not easily measured and requires much effort. But for Disney’s official fan club, it’s worth it. It’s what makes us different.
24. Thank you! 760-338-4150 | berna.velasco12@gmail.com