In the 1950s, fans showed their love for Elvis Presley by crying for him at concerts and plastering posters of him on their bedroom walls. Fans chased the Beetles around en masse like raving lunatics. Luckily for today’s young people, the fan-celebrity experience is more personal, even if we still treat our idols, American or otherwise, with iconic revelry. Posters have been replaced by tweets, blogs, live chats, and videos from celebrities — letting fans adore their favorite superstars on a deeper level. With Cambridge’s newly open beta startup, Fantourage you can prove to your celebrity crushes that you really are in love with them by earning points.
Fantourage was buzzing around Boston’s startup scene last month, so Pinyadda and BostInnovation staffer Greg Gomer and I decided to give it a try.
Here’s how Fantourage works:
- Create a profile on Fantourage.com using Facebook Connect.
- Find your favorite actors, musicians, comedians, and brands and “become a fan.”
- Post comments, videos, audio messages, photos, and surveys to your celebrity’s “wall”.
- Earn points from the creativity of your posts, replies to your post, sharing posts to your social networks, and recruiting your friends to fan your celebrities.
- Win prizes like concert tickets from the celebrities by being their top point earner.
- Keep up with your friend’s activity on the site by being in their “crew.”
Sound like a lot? It is, but Fantourage has the right idea by making fans prove they’re the most loyal to their celeb idols and in return, receive some cool prizes like handbags from Jessica Simpson’s fashion collection, tickets to Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and a chance to make a red carpet appearance on behalf of Sports Illustrated.
The prizes rock, I wouldn’t mind a free month of Starbucks or a Jessica Simpson Handbag, but Fantourage overwhelmed me. I wanted to earn points, invite my Facebook friends, build my Fantourage crew, and post on Lady Gaga’s fan page, but I didn’t know where to start. Earning points is the major action on Fantourage, so I started racking up points through posts. It was a little overwhelming going up against a fan who had earned 5,430 on behalf of Lady Gaga, but I guess that’s the point of the experience.
If Fantourage continues to build a user base and partner with celebrities like Donald Trump they will change fandom and celebrity culture. Fans will no longer be on a level playing field when it comes to celebrities, they’ll have to compete to get a slice of Beyonce Knowles or Kim Kardashian – -it’s no longer a bidding war for celeb swag, it’s about proving how much you know about a celeb and how much time you obsess over them. Still, the nice thing about Fantourage is that it preserves the fanaticism that goes hand-in-hand with being a true super fan while channeling the personal power of the Internet to make your fanhood pay off. If there are many celebs you follow, even better, because there are many ladders to climb to the top of on Fantourage.
If Fantourage can simplify their site, they’ll continue to attract fans as well as celebrities looking to up their street cred and reward the most vocal among their audiences. I say, why not? You can never have too much Lady Gaga.
Follow Fantourage on Twitter and Facebook to keep up with your favorite superstars and the latest rewards.
To keep up with the entertainment industry follow the A&E topic on Pinyadda.
