Remember when the annual Comic Con convention was a place where die-hard comic book fans gathered to geek out about their favorite characters and storylines? How times have changed.
Comic Con officially kicks of in San Diego today, and the cast of players has changed radically in recent years. Who would have thought back in the day that the big draws to Comic Con attendance and press would include movies like Twilight?
The die-hard Comic Con brand loyalists aren’t as quick to embrace the brand’s expansion to broader audiences than the conference leaders and sponsors would hope. However, steps have been taken to appease the most loyal and emotionally connected Comic Con audience. With smaller conferences held throughout the year that are focused on niche audiences, Comic Con is trying to find the right balance between satisfying loyal brand advocates who will keep supporting the brand long after Twilight fades away and the extended audience that brings money and buzz to the annual conference.
What do you think? Has Comic Con extended too far or is the brand expansion necessary? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.
Susan Gunelius
Susan Gunelius is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc. and Founder & Editor in Chief of an award-winning blog, WomenOnBusiness.com. She is a 25-year veteran of the marketing field and has authored 10 books about marketing, branding, and social media, including the highly popular 30-Minute Social Media Marketing, Content Marketing for Dummies, Blogging All-in-One for Dummies and Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps. Susan’s marketing-related content can be found on Entrepreneur.com, Forbes.com, MSNBC.com, BusinessWeek.com, and more. Susan is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a marketing communications company. She has worked in corporate marketing roles and through client relationships with AT&T, HSBC, Citibank, Intuit, The New York Times, Cox Communications, and many more large and small companies around the world. Susan also speaks about marketing, branding and social media at events around the world and is frequently interviewed by television, online, radio, and print media organizations about these topics. She holds an MBA in Management and Strategy and a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing.
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