Officials at Wizard World, the producer of Comic Con events across the nation, wanted to better understand and motivate their already devoted, yet fragmented fan base. As a result, Wizard World revolutionized customer loyalty in the event industry by implementing one of the first personalized fan engagement programs.
By capturing omnichannel data and insights about its fans, Wizard World started personalizing content and incentivizes to enhance fan experience. With the goal of increasing fan relevance, spend, and attendance, Wizard World plans to eventually shape its show content around fan preferences, creating the ultimate in personalized events.
During a session titled, “Creating Super Hero Fans Through Targeted, Personalized Experiences,” on Tuesday at the 9th annual Loyalty Expo, presented by Loyalty360 – The Association for Customer Loyalty, Ryan Munoz, Director of Events, Wizard World told attendees that the company’s new customer loyalty offering structure allows for flexibility, robust value, diverse customer engagement, and targets a unique group of customers in real time.
Wizard World’s loyalty partner is Clutch and Brad Marg, Clutch’s COO, joined Munoz in the session.
Founded in 1991 as Wizard Magazine, Comic Con events attract more than 500,000 fans annually. It has 17 nationwide events planned this year, including a gaming conference. Munoz said that Comic Con Events draw more than 500,000 fans annually. Its Chicago and Philadelphia Comic Con events each draw about 100,000 fans.
How does Wizard World leverage fans’ various interests and re-engage lapsed participants through enhanced, personalized engagements?
Data centralization (marketing and operational system unification):
The Customer Marketing Platform:
-Breaks down data silos: event, in-venue online, social
-Integrates all data sources into one platform
-Allows for easy segmentation and customer targeting
-Automates this process for rapid organization
Customer intelligence (deep, real-time motivational customer understanding)
-How many events does the average fan attend per year?
-Who is the most popular character, by costume?
-Which event/city has the most Star Wars fans?
-How many Reno attendees purchased Hulk souvenirs?
Targeted engagement (developing strategy segments and profiles; personalized campaigns around spend and customer preferences; messaging each customer individually)
-If it applies to everyone, it applies to no one
-Developing strategic segments and profiles allows brands to engage customers individually, with relevant experiences
-Communicating via different channels (e.g. sms, social, email, and direct mail) increases brand interaction and advocacy.
Ongoing optimization (continuous measurement and iteration; “Complacency is death for brands,” Marg noted. “This is not a lazy man’s sport. We want customers to stay engaged.”)
As customer behavior evolves over time, real-time data visibility is pivotal to understanding shifts in trends within the market. Data-driven iterations empowers brands to keep customers’ interests and preferences top-of-mind all the time.
New fan loyalty program (earn one point for every dollar spent)
Program features:
-Largely points-based
-Stored value component
-Program flexibility
Reward types:
-Point purchase rewards
-Enrollment reward
-Birthday rewards
-Anniversary rewards
-Event rewards
-Free shipping rewards
-Robust value
-Diverse customer engagement
Experience Benefits:
-Product sneak peeks
-Pre-order photo ops
-Autograph sessions
-Advanced admission purchases
-Non-cash based reward
-In-event traffic drivers
Customer Segmentation
-Customized campaigns
-Bucketed personas
-Fan segmentation, in the form of profiles and personas, is an incredibly valuable tool for Wizard World.
“Having this information is huge,” Munoz said. “We can celebrate each customer individually.”
Here is an example of a persona: Laura, Super Fan, Comic Cosplayer.
A Comic Con regular, Laura has been to 12 events across the nation in the past five years. She is also a cosplay participant. Her focus is on comic book superheroes with a particular interest in Marvel characters. She has spent $2,348 at Wizard World events. She is 29 and lives in Dallas.
The profiles and personals yield multidimensional fan insight through behavioral trends, transactional trends, personal traits, motivational factors, emotional elements, and strategic marketing.
Wizard World officials want fans to help build the brand through ringing endorsements, incentivizing positive engagement via social channels that transforms prospective purchasers into loyal customers.
Actionable insight can further help:
-Identify unique customer behavior
-Segment like tendencies to create profiles
-Deploy targeted messages to influence action
-Iterate and optimize for better results
Munoz said some “down the line” program enhancements include: Refer-A-Friend, Channel Extension, and Social Capabilities (building brand advocacy and evangelism)
Loyalty Expo was held May 24-26, 2016, at the DoubleTree Universal in Orlando, Florida.