In the world of collecting mostly people collect what they like. At a certain age however, some fandoms can fade if not maintained.

It would be like if you collect music. There is classic music but there is a subset of music that was very popular in your generation that probably doesn’t translate well to a more modern audience. Not because it wouldn’t have an audience but because it hasn’t been maintained/marketed for current formats. Another example could be comic strips where the fandom is not maintained for a modern audience.

As with all articles on this blog, this is a work of opinion and is in no way financial advice. It is simply a stream of consciousness.

If an NFT collection is released for a largely dead franchise, it may capture a subset the audience it once had, but in the long term there is a risk that the popularity will fade if not relevant exposure is not maintained for a new audience.

Photo by Rock'n Roll Monkey on Unsplash

These dead on arrival NFT collections of once popular franchises are quite rare, but do exist. There is probably a good chance that over time they won’t improve.

One positive note is that generally licensors are incentivised to continue with the renewal of there assets for copyright reasons. If an asset isn’t renewed and changed, the licensed good could ultimately enter the public domain. This (I understand) is one reason why licensors release new variants or slightly change their most popular characters.

So what? Much of collecting, is about connecting with the fandoms of youth. TV shows, Comics, Video Games, and entertainment. Generally we don’t care if it is a currently popular franchise. For an economic reasons we possibly should if the costs are great enough.

How do you identify a well maintained fandom

Re-issued physical pieces

Think 25th anniversary pieces or similar re-releases of toys or any collectible that made the franchise popular. These can find a new audience and a satisfy the original audience.

Remakes in the format that made the franchise popular

Live action movies, video games, anything that engages the original audience and a new audience.

Additions to the franchise

New TV shows, new characters, and variations on a theme. These additions will probably disappoint the original collectors of the franchise but they needed to engage new fans and keep the popularity going. Ultimately these new additions might get new collectors to look to the original releases and their related NFTs.

New pop culture references

It is amazing how seemingly unrelated items can enter and exit the social zeitgeist. Think the game Fortnight and memes. Both of these have examples where fandoms get exposure to a new audience.

New formats

Many toys became popular because of their TV shows (sometimes made after the toys were produced). New audiences could be gained by rethinking of how the fandom is best provided to the new audience. One popular method is high quality animation. For example Mr Bean.

Ask a young person whether they know about X fandom

If they don’t, then there is a chance that coupled with the above that you have a badly maintained franchise.

Photo by Vijesh Datt on Unsplash How to spot a Fading Fandom

Research whether any of the above elements exist and ask the below questions.

When was the last year that a significant contribution was made to this fandom? If it is more than 10 years, it could be in trouble.

Are products with the fandom on them still available for purchase?

Can books still be purchased or are the original tv shows found on streaming services? Essentially how hard would it be for a new audience to get into the fandom?

Does this fandom have an audience with Web3 or Web2.5 Collectors? If the answer is no, maybe this license having NFTs is not an appropriate long term fit.

Examples

Garfield. Garfield was a once popular Cat and comic strip. There was books, a short lived TV show and lots of merchandise. The people who owned Garfield probably realized that without renewal there was a high probability that the fandom could fade into oblivion. Then came the high quality family movie starring Bill Murray. Paddington Bear is another example where the owners saw the need to renew and they did.

ALF. Alf was a very popular TV show in the 80s. Alf ate cats (or at least claimed he did). This franchise is largely dead. There has been no renewal of merchandise or media in this franchise and over time it will probably fade into oblivion.

Garfield and Alf were both a product of the 80s but whereas one had renewal it has a chance to continue to have fans into the future. Not to the same level as it once did, but with the right set of actions it may have.

Overall the tenet of ‘collect what you like’ should withstand any analysis above. It is however, important to consider how this fandom will fare in the long term, if you have a perception of maintained popularity or value.

This article was originally published on medium.