CeraVe, AT&T, CarMax and Oura marketers now measure brand 'fandom'

August 26, 2026 · Digiday

Sports advertising is one clear signal of the shift: linear and streaming sports TV ad spend combined is expected to grow by $5.3 billion through 2030, according to eMarketer, as marketers chase what agency executives call fandom. Alice Woo, chief creative officer at New Engen, described fandom as the point where attention turns into identity, distinct from simple awareness or affinity. Tamon George, co-founder and CEO of Creative Theory Agency, said fandom today reaches far beyond geography and legacy categories, tracked across both physical spaces like stadiums and digital communities. Heather Salkin, CEO of creative intelligence studio Artists and Robots, said fandom used to work as a demographic stand-in, tracked in easy-to-measure places such as sports stadiums or box office numbers. Brands now map fans by tier, from casual fan to superfan to the people influencing hundreds of others in their feed, she said. Stanley and Crocs both went viral last year, and brands hope that associating with a fandom authentically banks goodwill that pays off later in awareness or a sale.

Brand teams are now expected to build measurement frameworks around fandom, the same way they do for impressions or reach. CeraVe tracks engagement, appetite for more content, awareness among new audiences and sales lift, said svp of marketing Jasteena Gill. CarMax CMO Sarah Lane measures fandom through awareness, while AT&T avp of sponsorships and experiential Sabina Ahmed said the brand starts with perception and consideration and checks for purchase intent or customer acquisition over time. Oura CMO Doug Sweeny framed the payoff in acquisition-cost terms: cost of acquisition declines as more people become aware. Agency executives describe fandom campaigns as living alongside traditional media buys, adding brand affinity that a paid placement alone cannot deliver.