I love fan cultures.  I love to be part of them, I love to swim in them, I love to market to them.  Fans are passionate, engaged, curious, interested, interesting.

MTV’s idea of allowing their fan culture REMIX content (for example, the VMA awards) is nothing short of BRILLIANT.  Fans can create Directors Cuts (with commentary), music-only versions or whatever programming style suits their particular passion.

Every media brand should be doing this.  How do we save network news?  How do we increase newspaper readership?  Put all of the unedited content (full interviews) available online and let the audience dive in and play with the news – understand it without the guardrails and limitations of one minute story slots.  Provide more expert commentary (of high quality, like Nicholas Kristoff, Thomas Friedman or Paul Krugman) to help provide perspective.  We are a nation of fans -give us the tools to work with!

Okay, so this is easy for an entertainment brand with a strong fan culture.  But think of it as an analog for your brand.  How can you invite your audience in to become more engaged?  How can you offer "one experience across many screens"?  How can you give your customers the opportunity to tinker, tweak and hack?

And, just for those who want the recap, here are Christina Norman’s 4 Burning Truths:

•    It’s not the medium, but the content that matters most
•    Build an emotional connection with audience on foundation of creative content
•    Give audience the means to find each other
•    Let your audience help you shape your brand

Thanks Christina!  (And thanks for the butt cheek chuckle)