Latest from Fast Company
Fast Company
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- Fast Company
There's a formula to loyalty—super-fandoms have mastered it
Building super-fandom isn't an art, it's a science with a proven formula that brands can learn and replicate. The most successful fandoms, like Taylor Swift's Swifties, follow predictable patterns centered around building strong emotional architecture around a shared idea to generate a sense of belonging. Mastering this formula is integral for brands seeking lasting loyalty as it's the only reliable path to transforming casual consumers into passionate advocates who drive real business impact. The fandom formula Fandoms operate on four fundamental principles: 1. Emotional resonance comes first. Swifties don't just like Taylor Swift's music because it sounds good; they see their own stories reflected in her lyrics. Every album becomes a shared emotional journey, not just a collection of songs. Because they see themselves and their values reflected in this artist, they are invested in her success, ensuring each album release goes No. 1 on the charts. 2. Shared rituals and language create insider status. It's an unspoken code among Marvel fans that you stick around for the post-credit scenes of every single movie. Fandoms develop their own vocabularies, traditions, and ways of belonging that make outsiders want in. 3. A sense of belonging transforms individual consumers into collective identities. There are whole online and in-person communities dedicated to being a member of Beyoncé's Beyhive. They travel to concerts together, buy music and merchandise together, and every other brand avenue released by Queen Bey. 4. Active participation and co-creation turns audiences into collaborators. Fandoms thrive because fans don't just consume. They remix, theorize, create fan art, write fanfiction, and build upon the original work, offering another opportunity for direct fan-to-artist connection. The future is fandom-driven brands Most brands approach loyalty like a math problem. Spend $100, get 10 points. Visit five times, get a free coffee. Instead of a transactional approach to building brand loyalty, consider deploying the following: Build emotional anchors in the brand experience: Every brand interaction is an opportunity to create lasting emotional connections beyond the initial point of sale. Red Bull exemplifies this approach by translating the energy and thrill customers experience from their drink into a lifestyle ecosystem. Through immersive experiences like virtual reality alpine climbing and extreme sports activations, Red Bull offers energy and the feeling of limitless possibility for their community of thrill-seekers. Foster community, not an audience: The distinction between audiences and communities determines whether customers become advocates. Audiences consume, but communities create, connect, and discover together. Celebrities have become especially adept at leveraging fandom to create dedicated brand communities. Take Hailey Bieber's recent success with cult beauty brand Rhode. From exclusive pop-up events and viral TikTok videos, Rhode created virtual and physical spaces where beauty enthusiasts could experiment and bond over their collective obsession. In turn, Rhode built a movement around beauty that turned skincare routines into shared experiences and enough cultural cache to drive a $1 billion valuation in just three years, leading to its acquisition by e.l.f. Beauty. Make fans a part of the experience: Fandoms cultivate active participants and collaborators. Netflix's upcoming 'Netflix Houses' represent this principle at scale, transforming viewers into main characters of their favorite Netflix series. One second they're a contestant of Squid Game and the next they're wandering through Stranger Things' Hawkins to solve the latest mystery. Netflix repurposed dying mall space to create these immersive experiences, curating a new way for younger generations to experience malls and TV shows. A win for Netflix, the teens, and the malls. The most successful companies of the next decade won't just have customers, they'll have believers, which they'll build by making people feel something profound. Behind every transaction is a human being seeking connection, meaning, and belonging. In a world where fandoms power industries, the only thing standing between brands and that devotion is the courage to design experiences that honor this fundamental truth.
Fast Company
an hour ago
- Business
- Fast Company
A focus on sustainability's return on investment
For the past year, I've had the opportunity to apply my experience in sector diversified financial services, sustainability, and operational leadership at RE Tech Advisors. I oversee a suite of solutions and services allowing real estate portfolio managers/owners a pathway to integrate and communicate their sustainability efforts. What I've seen in this sector aligns with many other sectors I've worked with. ROI is the predominant motivation for action—short-term ROI via operational cost efficiencies and revenue attraction, and long-term ROI setting up operational resilience in a changing environment. The ROI focus applies to both traditional initiative and sustainability initiative decisions. The line begins to blur when key sustainability initiatives are considered as key operational efforts, the same way as traditional ROI. This is how RE Tech Advisors helps real estate owners find key ROI initiatives with strategic action plans to manage risks and optimize performance. Reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) Whether you are creating an action plan to reduce your GHG footprint to comply with building performance standards policies, or you're developing a proactive decarbonization action plan to reduce a building's carbon footprint, these can significantly reduce costs: Reduce energy consumption costs: Implementing high efficiency HVAC, better insulation, and smart system integrations such as smart lighting, can reduce energy cost estimates by 30% to 50% in new and existing buildings. Identify operational inefficiencies: Through real-time data analysis and continuous performance monitoring, building managers can adjust or replace systems to improve efficiency based on actual usage energy and water usage patterns. Reduce maintenance costs: Increase energy efficiency and conduct proactive maintenance to realize cost savings through reduced emergency repairs and extending building components' lifespans. Avoid noncompliance fines: Fine amounts varies by jurisdiction, but penalties for policy noncompliance can be a significant expense, based on location and building size. Tax incentives and green financing: Decarbonization roadmaps can unlock millions in funding from programs such as NYSERDA and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's Green Financing program. Physical risk management Physical risk management plans help mitigate potential physical building damage from sporadic weather events such as floods, hurricanes, and tsunamis, plus increasing temperature severity and climate pattern changes. Action plans can include installing flood barriers, storm shutters, upgraded drainage systems, impact-resistant windows, reinforced roofs, and elevated foundations. These investments can lead to short-term cost savings, better resilience, and longer-term ROI. Recognized benefits include: Lower insurance premiums: Most insurance companies now integrate physical climate risk scenarios in stress test modelling to calculate premiums accounting for potential risk of future loss. This increasingly influences insurance premiums. Lower costs from severe weather damage: According to from 2020-2024, the cost of climate-related damage in the U.S. was $746.7 billion; the annual average exceeded $149 billion. This financial impact is more than double the annual average of $64.8 billion from 1980 to 2024. Build to higher standards: A study by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce showed that for every $1 invested in disaster preparation, communities save $13 in economic costs, damages, and cleanup. One example showed, '$83 million of investments in resilience and preparedness for a serious tornado hitting Nashville would save more than 5,300 jobs. The amount of production and income saved would be more than $683 million and $464 million, respectively.' An S&P Global Sustainable1 report found that companies could face physical climate costs of up to 28% of the asset value annually without mitigation efforts. Supply chain risk mitigation: Building more resilient supply chain operations and avoiding disruptions from physical building damage and labor interruptions can lead to longer-term ROI. These risks pertain to both U.S. and off-shored supply chain facilities. Transition risk management Climate change and its associated risks continue leading to longer term economic changes. These bring transitionary risks that are important to consider to avoid higher resource and material costs. Through transition risk management, real estate owners can position themselves for: Less exposure to energy supply volatility pricing: Through decreased energy consumption or using alternative sources. Resource scarcity: Can lead to increasing costs and lack of availability of land, water, timber, and steel. Improved capital and lending rates: Rates may consider transition climate risks in risk analysis, or provide green financing with lower rates. Stranded assets: Avoid real estate assets that can be devalued by not appropriately mitigating transition risks. These stranded assets may not be aligned with building energy performance standards such as New York's Local Law 97. Noncompliant buildings could see value reductions of 10–20% due to penalties and retrofit costs. Furthermore, a First Street study suggests that a $1.4 trillion devaluation will occur across real estate assets over 30 years if they fail to meet decarbonization pathways. Communication is key In creating strategies for cost efficiencies and resilience, the owner's ultimate desire is to create a portfolio of attractive assets that are optimal operationally to gain short-term and long-term ROI. It is vitally important to communicate how the company is pursuing these cost saving and resilience initiatives to appropriate stakeholders including investors, banks, employees, operators/tenants, and communities, to help each stakeholder understand the assets' value. Key ways to drive this communication include: Green building certifications: These include LEED, BREEAM, and IREM certifications, which provide stakeholders with independent validation of key energy and carbon management initiatives. Investor reporting frameworks: GRESB and UNPRI provide investors a detailed look at initiatives being pursued, along with gaps, allowing them to benchmark and compare them to peers. Corporate social responsibility reports: These tell stakeholders, such as employees and tenants, about the sustainability efforts being addressed, offering better transparency. Last thoughts Many are pursing the ultimate goal of creating an environment that allows us and future generations to prosper and thrive. Looking at initiatives under the return on investment lens offers a sustainable pathway to meet people where they're at, speak a language they can connect to, and invite them to join the journey leading to a more sustainable economy and world. I look forward to continuing the discourse on how sustainability initiatives can best help drive for cost efficiencies and resilience so that these initiatives move from being an overlay to being deeply integrated into operational excellence.
Fast Company
2 hours ago
- Business
- Fast Company
Consumers win in Big Tech antitrust cases
Can you imagine your life without Google? Google Search, Google Chrome, Google Maps, Google Wallet, Google Drive, the Google Pixel phone—you could probably live your entire digital life within the Google ecosystem. Many, including the Justice Department, say that's a problem. The department recently won antitrust cases against Google's search engine and ad placement businesses. This may all feel abstract and perhaps invisible to most consumers. Google, Microsoft, Apple —they constitute the digital water we're all swimming in, and their monopoly raises prices, stifles innovation, and shapes our lives often to our detriment. The landmark antitrust case against Google marks a big victory against this status quo. Here's why it's so important. Monopolies create higher advertising costs Imagine promoting your business in a small town. You might buy an ad in the newspaper, put up a billboard, and run a spot on the local radio. Because these outlets are independent, you have lower prices and more advertising options. Now, imagine that the newspaper, billboard, and radio station are all owned by the same company. That shifts the dynamic: Because there is no competition for your ad dollars, prices are higher. That's essentially what the Google Ad business achieved, especially considering how critical digital advertising has become to businesses. People aren't watching commercials anymore. They're browsing the web during a commercial break. Google's monopoly on digital ads allows it to raise prices, making it harder for smaller businesses to compete and thrive. Google's monopoly created a less user-friendly internet Historically, about 90% of search traffic comes from Google, giving it a lot of power. For instance, Google uses an algorithm that examines web pages to score how relevant it is for search phrases, like 'pizza shop Minneapolis' or 'leaking fridge how to fix.' Because Google search is so dominant, people and companies who build and run websites do so with Google's algorithm in mind. That means the user experience takes a back seat to Google's preferences. If you've been to any recipe website lately, you know what I'm talking about. In a recent episode of the podcast Stay Tuned with Preet Bharara, former FTC chair Lina Khan noted that a monopoly is when a company can offer worse products and/or raise costs without suffering any substantial consequences in the market. 'You can understand this in some ways as a firm becoming too big to care,' Khan said. Many say the internet has become increasingly awful to use. The first page of search results are often dreck, in my opinion, written for Google's robots, not for humans. It's getting harder to find the information you're looking for, so a lot of people append their searches with tags for Reddit and YouTube, e.g. 'Hiking itinerary New Zealand Reddit' or 'best salmon dip recipe YouTube,' to cut through the SEO slop. Google's search monopoly could be a chokepoint for information Because of its dominance, Google can evolve in the direction of its own interests, rather than the interests of the user individually or collectively. It's not wild to imagine that Google can throttle searches for sensitive topics. During COVID, a 2020 Senate Commerce Committee hearing called Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and then-Twitter's then-CEO Jack Dorsey to question them about censoring conservative voices. Back in 2017, the World Socialist Web Site alleged that Google restrict ed access to 13 progressive and anti-war websites. For users, the question is not whether Google's algorithmic policies line up with your political views but whether Google can put its thumb on the scale regarding your access to information, based on what's advantageous for Google . It definitely can, and it definitely has. Monopolies stifle innovation Google can throw its weight around to thwart competition. In 2023, internet users noticed that YouTube (which Google owns) ran five seconds slower on the Mozilla Firefox browser than on Google Chrome. Ostensibly, Google tuned YouTube to purposely run slower on a competitor's browser to encourage users to switch to Chrome. Google, like many large companies, tends to acquire burgeoning competition rather than innovate in-house. Google has acquired hundreds of companies, from data analytics firms to rival search engines, from virtual reality developers to mapping products. When a company can buy out all the competition, consumers lose out on new ideas and better products, because the company has no incentive to pursue them. The ruling The ruling found that Google's default status with makers of smartphones, tablets, and laptops locked out rivals like Bing and DuckDuckGo, and that the integration of Google's adtech tools created a feedback loop that entrenched its monopoly. Google's ad business is facing its own antitrust lawsuit and may be broken up. The Department of Justice argues that Google's dominance in search (and its vast collection of user data) positions Google to achieve a similar feedback loop in AI -powered search and assistants—which could create a new monopoly. The DOJ has proposed forcing Google to sell Chrome and license some of its core search technologies to competitors, as well as ending default search agreements and allowing more visibility into how search results are ranked. The DOJ proposed Google give advance notice of AI-related acquisitions. Both sides have given their closing arguments and now await the judge's ruling, which is expected by August. This case is a blow against Big Tech in general, which has monopolized almost the entire digital world. I can only hope the FTC ' s antitrust case against Meta plays out in a similar fashion, and facilitates a return to a freer, more innovative digital world.
Fast Company
3 hours ago
- Business
- Fast Company
When will we leverage our above-ground mine?
Everyone in Washington knows the score: America's rare earth supply chain runs straight through China. It's one of the few issues before Congress that enjoys bipartisan support. But most of the solutions on the table remain shortsighted, dominated by two false binaries: Mine more at home or buy more from allies abroad. And yet, the most immediate solution is one barely being discussed. What is missing from the conversation in both Congress and the Trump administration is a faster, cleaner option: recovering rare earth elements from materials we've already used. If we're serious about decoupling from China, recycling rare earth elements from end-of-life products is essential. However, current federal policy has yet to fully recognize this opportunity or support it at scale. Rare earth elements power the permanent magnets that drive everything from consumer electronics and medical devices to data centers and defense systems. China controls over 90% of rare earth processing capacity and 70% of production. Billions of dollars have been invested in reshoring some of this value chain, but the pace is glacial, and opening new mines will take years, if not decades. Recycling as an option Meanwhile, the U.S. is sitting on an untapped domestic source of these very elements: smartphones, cars, appliances, hard drives, and other products we discard every year. Less than 1% of rare earth elements are recycled. Today, the vast majority end up in landfills or are shipped abroad for low-value scrap. With the right policy and technology support, we could be recycling a meaningful share of the rare earth elements we need, right here at home. To be clear, recycling won't eliminate the need for new mining altogether, but it can dramatically reduce our dependence on an unstable supply chain. So why has Congress largely ignored this path? In part, it's due to outdated thinking. For decades, rare earth elements were treated as byproducts, not priorities. But the world has changed, and the stakes have risen. As we transition to an electrified economy where everything from personal mobility to manufacturing depends on electrified systems, we need to treat these elements as the national security assets they are and plan for their full lifecycle. Three steps to hasten recycling Recent moves by the Trump administration to invoke the Defense Production Act to support the critical minerals supply chain show that wake-up calls are finally being heard at the highest levels. But waivers alone won't solve the issue. The administration and Congress can take three concrete steps now to accelerate domestic rare earth recycling. 1. Treat end-of-life rare earth elements as a strategic resource. Just as we stockpile oil, we should be inventorying our above-ground, urban mine—the stream of magnets and motors already in circulation. This potential is huge: By 2035, the U.S. is expected to generate 43,000 metric ton s of end-of-life magnets that could otherwise end up in overseas scrapyards. This untapped 'above-ground mine' is a unique opportunity to secure our critical supply chains, and it should be protected with reinforced export controls. 2. Empower federal agencies to take action. The Department of Defense (DOD) and Department of Energy are globally recognized as the most powerful accelerators of strategic industries, fueling America's rise in defense, technology, and energy leadership. Their contribution has never been more needed. Without immediate action to recycle our retired defense systems, we risk losing critical ground. Congress and the administration now have a unique opportunity to empower these agencies and secure vital elements, strengthen our innovation ecosystem, and ignite a domestic industry, before it's too late. 3. Direct federal budgets to scale domestic capacity. We now have the tools and technologies to reshape our critical elements supply chain. Traceability solutions are ready and aligned with DOD requirements to avoid entities of concern, yet the majority of rare earths are still processed in China. Agencies like the Export-Import Bank of the United States, the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, and DOD form the powertrain to fast-track strategic projects and scale domestic capacity. What's needed now is for the administration to seize the full potential of this moment and direct budget to turn readiness into resilience. Invest in infrastructure and incentives now The urgency is real. China has once again demonstrated it can rapidly snap export controls in and out of effect, perpetuating volatile market dynamics, serving as a not-so-subtle reminder of how fragile our current supply chain really is. To break the dependency, Congress should support all viable paths to resilience, including setting policies that will leverage the existing above-ground mine. We don't need to wait a decade to build new mines or hope for more reliable trade partners. The materials we need are already here, in products we've already used. We can start recovering rare earth elements here and now. But unlocking that potential will take broader thinking. Policymakers must expand their focus beyond extraction and invest in the infrastructure and incentives that will save this above-ground mine. By keeping critical elements within our borders and recovering them from end-of-life materials, we can strengthen national security, drive economic growth, support American jobs, and secure the future of U.S. innovation and technological leadership. The industry stands ready; it is now up to the administration to capitalize on this momentum.
Fast Company
4 hours ago
- Business
- Fast Company
With limited job prospects at home, new grads are having better luck teaching abroad
When Ricardo Dollero graduated from UCLA last May with great grades and a robust resume of extracurriculars, he wasn't expecting a particularly difficult job search. After majoring in anthropology, he looked for jobs at museums or nonprofits, but after months of scouring online job boards and applying for everything he felt qualified for, Dollero still hadn't found a job. 'That's when my partner and I decided, let's leave the United States and live an adventure and start our careers in another country where our degrees actually have value,' he says. By February, they had secured positions teaching English in a school in Thailand. It's a path recent graduates looking to experience a new culture have chosen for decades. The agency Dollero used, Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE), has been around since 1947. In recent years, though, grads from U.S. universities have increasingly been choosing to go abroad to escape the challenging job market at home. Although June data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics paints a rosy picture of the current job market, with 147,000 jobs added and unemployment falling to 4.1%, entry-level jobs are becoming ever more elusive. Subscribe to the Daily newsletter. Fast Company's trending stories delivered to you every day Privacy Policy | Fast Company Newsletters Starting in September 2018, the percentage of unemployed recent graduates has consistently been higher than the overall unemployment rate. As of March 2025, the percentage differed by nearly 2%, with 5.8% of recent grads unemployed compared to 4.0% of all workers. This means young college-educated workers have spent years facing an especially competitive and difficult job market. And these challenges are only growing as more companies remove entry-level jobs in favor of using AI. In fact, 40% of employers expect to reduce their workforce and automate tasks with AI. With so few opportunities available, many recent graduates struggling in their job search are seeking alternatives to traditional nine-five office jobs—including opportunities to work abroad. 'We have indeed observed a notable increase in interest from recent college graduates seeking TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certification and opportunities to teach abroad,' says Ian O'Sullivan, owner of the TEFL Institute. 'The appeal of gaining global experience, developing transferable skills, and making a meaningful impact has driven more young adults to consider TEFL as a viable and exciting option.' The TEFL Institute is one of hundreds of organizations providing certification courses that teach people how to teach English as a foreign language. Many of these courses require no prior teaching experience and many of the companies offering them also guide new teachers through the process of finding a job abroad. The extra support makes these programs ideal for recent graduates, many of whom have never traveled outside their home countries or worked a full-time job before. For Dollero, having an organization help with the process of getting set up in his new home made it easier to jump into his role as a teacher—one that he describes as very fulfilling. 'One very specific thing that has marked my time here in Thailand is the respect that the students have for the teachers,' Dollero says. 'It's just heartwarming that they want you there.' advertisement These positive experiences differ from teaching in the United States, where teacher shortages prevail not because there is a lack of passionate new teachers but because of low salaries, difficult working conditions, and a lack of support at work, according to a recent analysis from the Learning Policy Institute. A typical contract for teaching English at a school or language center abroad lasts one academic year, typically 9 to 12 months. Many teachers choose to renew their contracts or find a new TEFL job in yet another country. Others choose to use their experience in education to find teaching jobs closer to home. While he isn't yet sure what the rest of his career will bring, or whether he will choose to extend his time in Thailand, Dollero notes that his teaching experience has already helped him grow as a person. He's learned to effectively manage people, organize his time, and become more adaptable. While the need for technological skills in the labor market is expected to grow the fastest, many soft skills are also expected to rise in importance over the next five years, according to insights from the World Economic Forum's 2025 Future of Jobs Report. Creative thinking, resilience, flexibility, agility, and curiosity have all become increasingly important as the workforce adapts after the COVID-19 pandemic and in the wake of innovations like AI. These skills, and many others, are the type one can learn from taking on new experiences, such as navigating a new culture and managing a classroom. Regardless of whether recent graduates choose to remain teachers after their TEFL experience, the soft skills they develop can open doors. 'Many of our graduates have shared inspiring stories about how TEFL has transformed their professional and personal lives, opening doors to international careers, remote work opportunities, and lifelong friendships,' O'Sullivan says. 'The experience not only enhances employability but also fosters a global perspective that is highly valued in today's interconnected world.' Back at home, many graduates are pessimistic about the job market. Over half (56%) of the class of 2025 reports feeling somewhat or very pessimistic about starting their careers according to a recent report by the job board Handshake. For students having trouble finding a job after college, like he did, Dollero highly recommends a TEFL job. 'I'm 100% for others doing what I did,' Dollero says. 'Just because you're being rejected from hundreds of jobs in the United States doesn't mean it's going to be the same thing in another place.'
