Other than a classic of its time, Daft Punk’s harder, better, faster, stronger hit song has become a classic motivational anthem for many people: Gym rats and casual joggers, of course, but also young professionals looking to impress their bosses or university students on their straight A path to success. In a world that is ever more performance-driven, there is an industry that aims to give you an edge, to help you in on a little known secret formula to a better you and that is none other than the supplementation industry. Similar to pharmaceutical companies who have a pill to solve any and all itches and illnesses, supplementation distributors promise strength, health, higher brain functions and a stable mood to boot, all in a half cup of magical powder or in a handful of caplets! The promises offered by supplement distributors are numerous and they are, in my opinion, highly effective in our modern world for a few reasons:

Products and services are increasingly focused in the way they are made and marketed to the potential client. Companies tend to their flock of fans – potential and loyal alike – by learning about all that makes them tick which, in turn, encourages the birth of über-fans. When a niche of über-fans is well tended to, a fascinating phenomenon can happen, where they start behaving like a hive-mind, regrouping like-wise thinkers who actively defend their modern fandom like zealots.

You may have heard of such groups and their accompanying rivalries; you may even be part of one: Mac vs. PC, Playstation vs. Xbox, Honda vs. Volkswagen, and the list goes on and on. The modern marketing war is no longer waged with TV ads saying Pepsi is better than Coke; it is now waged on social media with memes being thrown at each other’s Facebook walls and Twitter accounts. The level of engagement can range from simply liking everything that shines a positive light on a company to literally stalking the posts of rival brands to brag about how much their own side is better.

You may wonder at this point, why is the behaviour of über-fans so important?