Are you a fan who wants to get more out of your adoration for your favorite movie star/sports team/pop-culture icon? Fantourage.com is just the place for you. Founder John Davie tells why Fantourage is one of the most unique sites for fans on the internet.
MB:Why did you start Fantourage?
JD: I started developing the idea for Fantourage after studying the way fans of Dane Cook interacted on the comic’s Facebook page; that got me thinking about how celebrities might benefit from a way to find out who their most loyal fans were, and reward them with incentives and discounts — in much the same way big corporations do with their loyalty programs.
If someone was interested in using Fantourage, what could they expect from the website?
The site allows fans to create online fan clubs for their favorite bands, actors, or sports stars and get rewarded just for being a dedicated fan. Fantourage works for the very active social networking celebrity or busy celebrity who wants to have a social media presence without the constant pressure to continually post content. Through Fantourage, they can simply acknowledge and reward their best and most loyal fans. Fantourage gives the celebrity a customized loyalty reward vehicle to identify their top fans
What are some of the prizes a person could win?
Some of the current rewards available on Fantourage nclude the following: Donald Trump – A suite at the 5-Star Trump International Hotel for two nights, dinner for 2 at esteemed Jean Georges restaurant and a meeting and photo with The Donald himself at Trump Tower. Jimmy Fallon’a number one fan wins two tickets to the Late Night Show. Every month for Starbucks the number one fan can win one month of free coffee. Fantourage just rewarded the number one fan of Dave Matthews Band with two tickets to his show in New York City. Fantourage will also offer their fans weekly gift cards and merchandise.
Which celebrities/brands have offered prizes on Fantourage so far?
For the recent MGM release “Hot Tub Time Machine,” they rewarded their #1 fan with an actual hot tub and the top 3 fans won a shout out form a cast member. We have worked with many bands including Pepper, Young Buck, Ballyhoo! and Passafire where they are rewarding VIP tickets, meet and greet opportunities and signed merchandise.
How many winners have you had so far?
We have had over 30 rewards given out in the first three months with additional rewards ending each week.
Do you have any tips for someone trying to become a top fan on Fantourage?
You can earn points by posting messages, taking quizzes, creating videos or interacting with other fans on the site. A user will earn the biggest points by recruiting other fans to join Fantourage and by purchasing tickets or merchandise through the site. We have a Facebook connect option where you can easily invite your friends right on your profile page and they will be notified on Facebook.
Would you suggest more celebrities/brands to give prizes away on Fantourage?
Current Social Networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter do not clearly assist Celebrities in identifying and rewarding their most loyal and devoted fans. Fans that spend the most on their music, movies, books, shows, products etc. are not rewarded and acknowledged. Celebrities have amassed huge numbers of fans on social networking sites but trying to identify the fans that really promote the celebrity and purchase the tickets, music or merchandise is nearly impossible online. At Fantourage, avid Fans will benefit the most because we are the first social networking site to combine social networking with a loyalty rewards system. With Fantourage a celebrity or business can build brand and product awareness, build your fan base, and gather valuable demographics and consumer insight.
Any final thoughts?
A Fan is no different than a customer. If you don’t reward and acknowledge your best customers you may lose them. Fantourage is the best online social media tool available to Celebrities to do just that.
Make sure to check out Fantourage.com and become the top fan!
