This morning’s WOMMA session rocked. Just spent the last hour listening to Ken Block, lead vocalist for the band Sister Hazel who visited the conference to chat about the power of loyal fans, or “friends” as the band deems them.
No joke, here’s me stalking the singer after his panel discussion. I’m the one with hair.
It’s sort of a simple principle, if people dig you, you should dig them back. As it turns out, Sister Hazel has been womming it up for years as they built an image from their own unique identity. In the world of music, loyal fans mean everything. So, the band, along with manager Andy Levine, built a community for their prized Hazelnuts, one of whom presented on the WOMMA panel. They’ve done everything from engage friends on their message board and fan site to hosting a yearly RockBoat cruise featuring live performances, cocktails with the musicians and personal touches for their top supporters.
The whole concept is rad, but can only be emulated by people like Sister Hazel who are honestly as passionate about their fans as the Hazelnuts are about them. The notion of gratitude is so strongly embraced by the band, fans can’t help but become friends. I always liked the music, but their friend-centric WOM marketing model makes me want to register for my own Hazelnut card…
-C
