FanLib's co-founder and SVP presents a case study on leveraging CGM to turn TV fans into active brand advocates.

The industry is buzzing about consumers taking command of their media. Easy-to-use digital technologies have opened the floodgates on all kinds of content created by amateur Joes and Janes. Multitudes of blogs and podcasts showcase personal opinions and politics, while fan films and video mash-ups like the "Brokeback to the Future" movie trailer parody let individuals share unique visions of popular entertainment.

The big question is: How best to harness this consumer creativity and put it to work for your brand?

Showtime Networks wanted to boost its popular series, The L Word, for its upcoming third season, which premiered in January 2006. Specifically, the network sought to:

1. Increase ratings and buzz
2. Increase site traffic and "fan engagement"
3. Recruit new marketing partners

The setup
The L Word is critically acclaimed and had always performed well, but second season ratings were down from season one, and the show had not achieved the level of consumer buzz and mindshare that the network believed was possible for an edgy, well-produced drama about a group of beautiful lesbians living the Hollywood high-life.

FanLib, an online technology and marketing company specializing in "people powered entertainment™," sought a high-profile entertainment property with which to pilot its unique online platform for "massively social storytelling." We at FanLib recognized that The L Word's most underutilized asset was its fans: Some entertainment properties have an uncanny ability to inspire the kind of allegiance that compelled William Shatner to famously implore a crowd of Trekkies in a comedy sketch to "get a life!" The L Word is one of those properties. Most notably, L Word fans seem to write an inordinate amount of fan fiction (or "fanfic"), which The American Heritage Dictionary defines as, "informal fiction written by fans as an extension of an admired work or series of works, especially a television show, often posted on the internet or published in fanzines."

The conflict
But, before any L Word event involving fan fiction could get off the ground, a major legal hurdle had to be overcome. As a matter of course, entertainment companies like Showtime have tended to keep fan fiction at a cool arms length, due to concerns about content ownership. If, for example, someone submitted a script about a talking tulip, and months later, a singing daisy appeared on The L Word, there is nothing to prevent the submitter from claiming Showtime stole the idea. FanLib lawyers worked painstakingly to develop an industrial strength online user agreement and set of rules in order to mitigate these concerns. After extensive revisions and consultations with Showtime's legal department, the concept was given the green light.

The "Fanisode"
Utilizing its patent-pending online technology, FanLib developed a unique program called "The L Word: A Fanisode", in which fans of the show were invited to collaboratively script an episode. The collaboration was guided by a staff writer for The L Word, who issued a new "scene mission" online each week, instructing fans to write three- to five-page scenes that included specific plot-points. Fans submitted scenes and voted for their favorites. At the end of each week, the most popular scene became part of the final fanisode script. When the event concluded, the seven winning scenes were polished by the staff writer and pieced together to create a complete screenplay that Showtime has an option to produce.

Unlike the proliferating short film and video contests online, the only know-how required to submit a scene to this contest was the use of a web browser, which allowed Showtime to attract a truly broad base of submitters. Since the results were determined by voting, each submitter also became a campaigner, actively reaching out to friends and family to vote for his or her scene. The FanLib platform includes a kind of campaign mail, allowing submitters to send out special scene invites. In essence, the event creates an army of crusading fans marching throughout the cyberverse to personally recruit the uninitiated masses into The L Word community.

The transformation of fans into active advocates was born out by such participant comments as, "We launched a get-out-the-vote campaign" involving "shamelessly self-promoting e-mails." And, "Even our parents watch the show now... they were just so excited that we had written something."

High ratings
The results of this campaign speak for themselves. The week the Fanisode competition launched, Yahoo!'s "Buzz Log" reported a 26 percent increase in L Word-related searches, and Showtime announced the show's ratings climbed 51 percent over the previous season's.

The event scored on the traffic/engagement front as well. With zero promotion outside of Showtime properties, the event attracted over 150,000 site visits, each averaging an impressive 19 page views.

For marketers too, the Fanisode proved to be a winner. In the past, the helter-skelter of much consumer-generated media has discouraged brand managers, who seek dependable environments in which to deposit their messages. With the involvement of the L Word staff writer, a prefabricated story blueprint, the scene missions and steadfast content moderation, the Fanisode overcame that obstacle by offering the best of both worlds: content that is audience-driven and viral while also being professionally controlled.

Top-tier brands such as Saks Fifth Avenue, LendingTree and The W Las Vegas signed on at CPM levels rarely seen for consumer-generated programs. In February, it was announced that The L Word would be returning for a fourth season. FanLib is in talks with the major broadcast networks about applying similar techniques to other properties.

David B. Williams is co-founder and SVP of product development, at FanLib. An established online pioneer, David employs expertise in both content and technology to produce FanLib's groundbreaking internet applications and cross-media programs. Williams is also instrumental in the planning and implementation of FanLib's overall strategies and business initiatives.

Best known as creator of the trailblazing WhirlGirl® and founder of the innovative studio that brought her to life, Williams has created a portfolio of world-class online properties and produced award-winning interactive solutions for numerous clients including Disney, USA Networks, Smithsonian Magazine, M&M/Mars, Lucent and IBM.