Case Study
Armani white: A Fandom strategy
A FANDOM STRATEGY
In partnership with Brandwatch, a leading AI-enabled social listening tool.
What is a fandom strategy?
Attention fragments quickly. Without structure, discovery does not convert into belonging. Fans know who the artist is, but have no clear way to stay involved once the moment passes.
A fandom strategy is a way of building the infrastructure of belonging. It organizes efforts around a single vision. It declares how we will sustain audience interest in the always-on, attention-poor, post-social world, and shows how we translate that interest into love and success.
the Challenge
Launching an album in late 2025, two years after a viral megahit, Armani White turned to BrandBackstage to understand what modern fandom looks like and how it should function beyond hype cycles.
The ultimate goal: to nurture love and attention.
The Approach
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Tracking conversations, trends, and audience behavior to understand organic brand associations.
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Surfacing internal perspectives, legacy, and priorities to clarify brand identity.
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Translating insights into a clear, actionable growth strategy anchored in cultural relevance.
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Bringing insights into action through workshops that explore strategic options and test alignment with cultural opportunities.
The Process
2+ years’ worth of data | 10M+ mentions | All major platforms, including Instagram, X/Twitter, Reddit, TikTok.
Fandom strategy works on many levels: creative, channel, and commercial. Unlike content creators or influencers, artists actively offer their perspective to the world, pushing cultural norms.
Creative vision workshops involved rounds of conversations that BrandBackstage shaped into an artistic manifesto. I am an artist. Here is what is important to me, here is the work I believe in, and here is why you should be interested in me. The manifesto was then tested for commercial viability with the superfans.
During the superfandom interviews, we also mapped the distance between the fandom's perception and the creator's manifesto, explored who the new vision resonated with, and identified ideas that were commercially viable.
An in-depth exploration followed: where conversations are happening, how pre-existing communities and accounts can be leveraged, and which engagements had previously driven the artist's growth. Social listening examined two years of interactions. Superfan interviews revealed how fans discovered and why they stayed within the artist's orbit (12 interviews across age groups and geographies).
The Insight
Being fan-centred doesn't mean just giving fans what they want. It means finding the right people, those whose interests resonate with the creative vision.
The Impact
Growth was reframed away from reach and toward continuity. Rather than chasing moments, Armani focused on keeping fans connected. This influenced content design, success metrics, and support for future releases. Each social channel now has a distinct role, sustaining engagement.