New research from full-service family marketing experts Kids Industries (KI), reveals that fandom is no longer a solo pursuit. Families today aren’t just consuming together – they’re actively sharing, shaping and spreading the fandoms they love across an ever-widening range of categories.
- In a major UK and US study of 2,000 respondents, the insight-led agency found that:
- 75% of families actively share fandom moments
- Only 1% of parents say they’re always the one introducing new fandoms – in 89% of families, discovery is either shared or driven by kids
- Families who share fandoms are significantly more likely to buy merchandise, engage online and recommend brands to others
- These “fandom families” are more engaged at every touchpoint. Compared to solo child fans, families who co-fan are:
- 33% more likely to watch official shows and films
- 18% more likely to play with toys or physical games
- 16% more likely to wear branded apparel
- 5% more likely to attend live brand experiences
These findings challenge outdated notions of how fandoms function – who drives them and how experiences are enjoyed.
Gary Pope, CEO and co-founder of Kids Industries, said: “When we think of fans, we often think of the superfan or ‘geek.’ But fandom is increasingly something that lives in the home, that’s shared between generations, and that families actively celebrate together. That makes them brand amplifiers – and brands need to take that seriously.
“We’ve been the creators of fans for over 20 years – today we’re formalising it. By formally putting Fandom at the very heart of everything we do, we’re reframing the full-stack offer we’ve always delivered – Insight, Strategy and Creative – for the new commercial landscape. Our simple mission is to deliver life-fulfilling experiences for fans of all ages everywhere.”
To coincide with the new research, KI is repositioning itself as “The Family Fandom Agency” – a move that reflects both its heritage and the future of brand engagement.
- To support the evolution, KI is launching a suite of new fandom-focused services, including:
- Bespoke family fandom workshops and training
- Tailored research studies to help brands measure and grow their fan base
- Client-specific presentations of this year’s Fandom Study
- A free download of its proprietary KI Fandom Model
Internally, the agency has also completed a full training programme across its team to embed fan-first thinking at every level.
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