The idea, distilled
In 2026, Australians aren’t opting out of everything. They’re opting out of almost everything… except the things they genuinely love.
For years, marketing has been built on reach, frequency, and the assumption that if you show up enough, people will pay attention. But that model is cracking. In an age of limitless information, endless distraction, and relentless disruption, consumers have developed a powerful filter. They’re tuning out the noise and doubling down on their passions.
And that’s where the opportunity lives.
The Fuel for Fandom research reveals a $42 billion passion economy quietly reshaping how Australians spend, engage, and decide. Across the country, there are an estimated 58 million instances of passions, from sport and music to cooking, fitness, and gaming. Each one is a moment where a brand can either show up meaningfully, or not at all.
The brands that get this right aren’t just winning attention. They’re building something far more valuable: brand fandom.
If nothing else, three things to fuel your growth
Stop renting growth. Start building fandom. Advocates aren’t just loyal, they’re commercially transformative. Consumers who are passionate about what a brand enables spend 3x more, are 2x more likely to advocate, and 40% more likely to pay a premium price. Fandom isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s the most defensible growth strategy available.
Understand the role your brand can play. Not every brand is at the centre of a passion. But every brand has a role. Whether you’re directly enabling the pursuit, enhancing the broader experience, or aligning with the values that drive it, there are three distinct plays available, and the brands winning right now have chosen one deliberately.
Use content as your most strategic asset. 7 in 10 Australians say content is essential to deepening their connection with their passion. 6 in 10 say content from their favourite brand makes them even more passionate about what they love. Content isn’t just communication, it’s fuel. And the brands that treat it that way are accelerating value creation for both their customers and themselves.
