There are new trends in video culture that signal bigger shifts.
Every year, YouTube releases a "Culture & Trends Report" that examines user behaviour and is mostly meant for marketers. Although encouraging advertising expenditure is the report's main objective, it also offers insightful statistics. The most recent edition from 2024 concentrates on the expanding phenomenon of fans who are also content creators.
The report states that 65% of Gen-Z respondents describe themselves as "video content creators." Furthermore, in the previous year, 57% of all respondents said they had watched videos created by fans of particular artists, public personalities, or subjects.
This trend shows that super fans enjoy creating videos, while fans generally enjoy watching them. Although not surprising, this data is a significant reminder for the music industry that the 2024 'super fans' trend is not solely about commercial transactions.
YouTube advises brands to focus on remixes, custom merchandise, and providing templates for fans to create their own content. The report mentions a few music campaigns that successfully utilised this approach.
For example, a K-Pop music video launched by Coca-Cola features an AI twist that allows fans to insert their name, voice, and face into the video, then download and share the results.
The report predicts that as creative AI and new video tools improve, fandom will become a primary driver of pop culture rather than merely a response to it. Brands that fail to engage with fans in a structured way risk being left behind.
The 2024 YouTube Culture and Trends Report aims to help marketers understand the current state of video culture, anticipate its future direction, and succeed in this evolving digital landscape.
The research provides a preview of a future in which fans will be empowered to actively participate in pop culture through artificial intelligence and user-friendly production tools. Brands should take note of this: neglect your fan base at your own risk. The recommendation? Offer fans tools to create with, remixes, and personalised items to encourage them to think beyond the box.
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