The FECI Fan Map is a powerful way to explain the relationship any individual or group has with music by segmenting people into Fans, Enthusiasts, Casuals and Indifferents.

To understand the first principles of FECI segmentation let's take a look at the Music Fan Map below. The central horizontal axis represents how 'engaged' an audience group is with music. At the left hand side of the axis are the 'Fanatics' and 'Enthusiasts'. These are people who invest almost crazy amounts of time, effort and money into their relationship with music. 

Over on the right are the 'Casuals' and 'Indifferents'. These are people with little or no interest in music who might struggle to recognise any of the tunes played at a wedding disco.

At a broad level The Fanatics are relatively small in number but represent the heaviest, most committed and profitable type of music consumer out there. Conversely, Casuals and Indifferents purchase less frequently and spend far less per head than the Fanatics and Enthusiasts, but thanks to their big population size represent a valuable high-volume market of light and irregular customers. This difference in market or audience size is represented by the Fan Map's funnel shape.

Let's taker a closer look at the Music Fanatics.

The Music Fanatics

Everything in the Music Fanatic's life seems to be tied up with or lead back to a deep seated passion for music.  Music Fanatics have an encyclopaedic knowledge of their favourite artists, genres or acts and habour deep convictions that are stridently expressed.  No stone is left unturned in the Music Fanatic's search for the best that’s available in their favourite music genres.

Music Fanatics tend to be the heaviest consumers of music and spend more time and money feeding their habit than any other group.  They are the arbiters of taste and reputation within their chosen genres - being an expert is a big part of ‘who I am’ for a Fanatic.  They often exhibit, especially during their younger years, an insatiable appetite for discovering the next new thing within their sphere of interest.  This urge plays a key role in shaping and defining new trends within their passion-field that eventually filter down into the mainstream.

A common aspiration amongst Music Fanatics is to build the perfect ‘collection’.  In practice this means amassing as much material and memorabilia as possible, then systemising and arranging the collection and filling in gaps.  Music Fanatics know there will always be new facts, stories and news to undermine their expertise if they don’t continually hoover up all the latest information and material. 

In summary, communicating a shared passion, expertise and appetite for music is usually a good way of building a strong relationship with Music Fanatics.

Music Fanatic sub groups

You might think Music Fanatics are a homogenous group of "heavy" or "passionate" music consumers, but this isn't true. To illustrate, let's take a look at three notional Music Fanatic sub groups that are broadly reflective of various FECI Segmentations Colourtext has undertaken. The name of each group is very suggestive of its character - they are The Hoodies, The Pop Idols and The Curators.

The Hoodies are passionate about rock music with attitude and feel a deep antipathy towards the silicone dolls of the manufactured mainstream.   Credibility is key for members of this group; they value people or things that are real and authentic and reject anything tainted by the whiff of hype.  They are quick to express deeply felt opinions, wear emotions on their sleeves and both their music and fashions are intentionally loud and challenging.

The Pop Idols are totally star-struck teens who are literally obsessed with the biggest pop acts of the day.  Emotionally expressive and intensively protective of their cherished icons, their devotion to a favourite artist or boy band knows no limits. They will go to almost any lengths to prove they are the most passionate and fervent fans in the world.

The Curators tend to be guys approaching middle age who are self-declared connoisseurs. Music has always been at the centre of their world and tends to define their memories and identity.  Although the responsibilities of age don’t allow them go clubbing or attend gigs as often as they once did, their passion is undimmed and has translated itself into a collector's mindset. The musical interests of The Curators tend to reflect backwards in time and they are keen to fill any remaining gaps in their collection.

Next to The Fanatics on the FECI Music Fan Map are The Enthusiasts. We can create a FECI Segmentation Fan Map for your brand and market - contact us now.