First fanboy was made an official member word of the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary. Now, there’s a studio film by the same name. I laughed way too much when I watched this. Not surprising, considering my own fanboy credentials…
The interesting thing about this movie is not the level of nerd that I am. What stands out is that nerd culture is truly starting to drive businesses in a highly significant way. The differences between the various parts of the adoption curve have less to do with interests and personality and more to do with timing. Early adopters are becoming the early majority.
I’ve always said that your nerdiest, most hardcore users/customers/fans always speak a level of clarity that the rest of your users simply haven’t discovered yet or don’t know how to properly explain to you.
I’ve done a lot of work over the years with fans, enthusiasts, and the brands they love. The one thing that has never ceased to amaze me is how often brand employees show confusion and often flat out disdain for these folks. I’ve heard terms like “weird”, “nerds”, “freaks”. I’ve heard brand managers say things like “don’t these people have lives?” All because they were spending more money, more time, and more energy using, promoting, and supporting the brand/product.
So when you watch the trailer, think twice about whether they’re weird for their love of Star Wars, or you’re weird because you don’t understand the fascination.
