Disney Fan Convention

Last week, Disney held its first-ever fan convention at the Anaheim Convention Center in California. Thousands of Disney fans purchased tickets to attend the "D23 Expo" - named after the year in which Walt Disney arrived in Hollywood to launch his career as a filmmaker. It surprised me that Disney had never done this in prior years. Like Apple, Disney has a loyal following among a group of incredibly dedicated fans. The key word is fans... great companies like Apple and Disney don't just have customers; they have fans. Creating a special experience for those folks helps to deepen loyalty, provides a direct channel of communication with key customers, and provides a unique and exciting way to launch new products and services. Reflecting on Disney's example, every company should ask itself three questions: How can I transform my customers in true fans of our company? How can I cultivate a special relationship with those fans? How can I create two-way communication with those fans so as to improve my company?