Fan cultures have emerged that celebrate Peeps candies through creative artistic expression on social media platforms. These fan cultures are more visual and performance based, sharing photos and videos of Peeps art installations and experiments. Influential communities include Flickr groups where over 4,000 members share Peeps photos, and the YouTube channel "4 Peeps Sake" which creates videos testing the limits of what can be done with Peeps, attracting thousands of views. Individual influencers like photographer Shelly S drive engagement by sharing artistic Peeps photos that attract thousands of views from other fans.

1. Peeps
Traditional vs. Fan Culture Audiences
How Social Media Research Connects Communities
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3. Social Media Performance Inputs
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Microblogs
(Twitter)
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(Facebook, Podcasts)
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Comments on
Mainstream Blogs &
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4. Defining the Audience
• Traditional Audience
– Any customer using Peeps for: eating, cooking, present or
mentioned them as part of Easter
• Fan Culture Audience
– Any customer using Peeps for purposes other than Traditional
audience usually as a means of artistic/creative expression

5. Traditional Audience
“Most people have a love-hate relationship
with Peeps. I think they were more special
before the company started making
marshmallow confections for every single
holiday and/or greeting card holiday ever
invented….”
http://noburnthamburgers.blogspot.com/2010/03/busy-week.html

6. Daily Volume : Traditional Audience
1741
Main causes for increase in 1730
1607
volume:
- People buying Peeps for their
families on Easter day update on 1310
Twitter 1158
- Release new flavor: Chocolate 956
covered Peeps
- Link to pages showing Peeps 733 727
601
489 462 470
378 395 399
357
22-Mar 23-Mar 24-Mar 25-Mar 26-Mar 27-Mar 28-Mar 29-Mar 30-Mar 31-Mar 1-Apr 2-Apr 3-Apr 4-Apr 5-Apr 6-Apr
Traditional conversations increased Total results: 13,306
significantly in volume at second half Date range: Mar 22 – April 6
period of examining date range. The Top domain: www.twitter.com
increasing trend shows a tied relation
between Peeps candy and Easter
season in traditional consumers’ minds

7. Traditional Audience: Where Are They?
Traditional Conversations Share of Voice
Conversations about buying Peeps candies for Easter season
Traditional consumers are more text driven on social media
5088
3115
1627 1581 1362 509 24

8. Traditional Discussions
“Peeps are amazing...
and as bill said, stale ones are very good too!
They're great if you put 'em in the microwave
for like 15 seconds and let them get soft and
big, then eat them!”
Ways <Bobby >
(I Hate Peeps! - Facebook)
traditional
audience eat
Peeps Peeps’
To traditional
audience, is favorite
Peeps only colors and
for Easter ? shapes
“My opinion on peeps varies. I used “@JenOgden *handing you a
to loved them - stale - now not so
Traditional pink, chick PEEP* Enjoy &
much. But I love them Peeps Happy Easter!!! (I like the
purple bunny Peeps) teehee”
toasted/roasted. Mmmm! Perfection.
I don't know if I'll be eating any this conversations
time. I haven't eaten candy in about http://twitter.com/DDubsTaraA
a month …” TL/statuses/11543969430
<jenjie>
(“I have to ask--peeps or no peeps
the marshmallow-y things” -
http://www.twopeasinabucket.com )

9. Sample Twitter Conversations
@katidid378 I will ONLY eat them at Easter...the other holiday Peeps are just
wrong...lol but yes, I do love them....pure sugar
<Tish326>
@bettielaven @nekazang my dears, my dears. The Best Easter Candy ever
are stale Peeps! Keep them out so they're nice and dry. YUM.
< chefterridien>
@californiaboyz what color peeps? Although some people think they taste
the same. They do not. Oh and was it peeps or bunny peeps?
< leftyprofessor>
@johnmoe #candyclub - Peeps is a complex issue, do colors taste differently,
original, chololate, strawberry, chocolate covered, microwave?
< Dav3Ston3>
#ubercosign RT @ioroberts: Maaaan, Peeps have to be one of THE most
disgusting "candies" ever! Its right up there with candy corn. Ugh!.
< tlw83>
Peeps are fucking gross. why cant they make better rubber duckie shaped
candy? what an outrage! or are they baby chickens? not sure.
< megablakeLB>

10. Reasons People Dislike Peeps
“i hate Peeps in any form or
color that they now come in
PLUS their evil cousins the
Circus Peanuts! Yuck! They are
just disgusting sugar delivery
HA! I thought I was the only one vehicles that can't even be
who HATED those flippen classified as "candy"!!
things. Before I would have to
<Sharon> “They are really cute, but they
just see them during Easter taste soooo gross. That does
time. NOW they make them for NOT taste like sugar more like
very damn holiday. UGH. ......who knows just sick. That is
<Beth> NOT even candy.....”
<Trisha>
Negative
UGH I hate PEEPS!!! Growing
up my family didn't have much
sentiment
money and ALWAYS bought
these damn things and were
around I would rather eat a sugar
cube. Peeps are NASTY. They
expected to eat them every
year. AND I DID!!!!! DAMN YOU
Peeps better change the formula or
they will be replaced with a
PEEPS!!! better product. <Brad>
“For real...I agree. Does anyone
“I have ended up in the ER like Peeps???
because of PEEPS. Honestly They don't even taste like food,
have a serious panic attack let alone sugar!
every time I see them.........” It's a blob of chemicals....no
<MargiE> more, no less.”
<Lisa >

11. Traditional Audience: How They Like Peeps?
What traditional audience discussed about
Peeps
21% Their favorite Peeps'
colors and shapes
43%
8% Their ways to eat
Peeps
28% Their thoughts on
present of Peeps on
Easter
Their dislike
expressions with Peeps
Traditional Audience's favorite
colors of Peeps
4% Chocolate
10%
Pink
19% Yellow
53%
Purple
14% Blue

12. Influential Traditional Communities
Typical forum with high involvement level thread about Peeps forum: Two peas in a bucket
Topic: I have to ask – peeps or no peeps (the marshmallow – y things). Total result: 118
http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/mb.asp?cmd=display&forum_id=15&thread_id=2977913#26997464
YES to peeps. I like the Peep bunnies are the cutest
bunnies better than the thing in the world - an Easter
chick shaped ones. they basket must have item. A big
taste better..I swear! I like yes from me - although I really
them fresh NOT stale! don't care to eat them.
I personally hate them and always
I love candy but No Peeps for have, even as a kid. I remember my
me! My kids don't like them older sister always liked them. I
either. The only person I know bought them for my kids just because
that likes them is my mom. it was tradition. I stopped one year
I used Bunny Peeps last year because it didn't seem like they cared
to decorate cupcakes. They much for them either. I caught holy
were a hit with the Easter heck (no pun intended) for that! So I
crowd. am back to buying the creepy little
things again.
Forum target segment: Young mother, young parents

13. Influential Traditional Communities
Typical forum with high involvement level thread about Peeps: The Straight Dope
Topic: Marshmallow Peeps. Total result: 54
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=557084#post12289831
I love peeps. As children, they
I love Peeps! Stale, preferably.
were always a staple in our
I'm waiting for Monday, when ALL
Easter baskets. Now with
of the Easter candy goes on
hubby and no children at
drastic clearance.
home, we don't do Easter
baskets, but we still buy the
peeps.
I am seeing Peeps on sale
everywhere. What's up? No one I only eat them around Easter
likes them anymore. Walgreens though, because non-Easter
had them for a dollar a package. peeps are somehow wrong. I
I've never seen so many. I don't know - I kinda like the
wonder if people don't like them pumpkin peeps at Halloween.
or that they overstocked....

14. Influential Traditional Communities
Typical forum with high involvement level thread about Peeps forum: The Bump – the
inside scope of Pregnancy.
Total result: 114. Total threads: 11
http://community.thebump.com I love Peeps, but I don't really eat
them. I mean, I LOVE Peeps. No
Easter basket is complete without
Peeps, and I used to send holiday
themed Peeps in my care packages
to DH when we were still long
distance...
wils0482: Bunnies, because I like to
eat the ears off first. Blasphemy! It's
chocolate Bunnies, marshmallow
peeps. That's the only way.
Forum target segment: Young mother, young parents

15. Fan-Culture
Audience

16. Fan Culture
Fan culture is the culture made up of fans of brands & products.
These fans create art, which takes a variety of forms, from the
products that they love so much. Fan culture represents the love of
the product as well as the comraderie amongst the fans.
Identity &
Belonging
Involvement
&
Performance
Knowledge
Fan Culture

17. Fan Culture Embraced: A Case Study
Traditional Culture Duck Tape duct tape is a Fan Culture
great example of a company
embracing the naturally
occurring fan culture and
making a profitable product
that appeals to the fan culture
population without disrupting
the traditional population.
Sales go through different
http://members.socket.net/~llile/ConcreteStain/Concrete_
Stain.html
channels
http://yuni-
promdresses.blogspot.com/201
0/03/duct-tape-prom.html

18. Daily Volume: Fan Culture Audience
Fan Culture Conversations Daily Volume
312
184 results coming from Twitter (59%), in
which 158 tweets are about the Washington
Post Peeps Diorama Contest 233
224
194
153 148
118
110
101
74
52
39 40 43
33 31
22-Mar 23-Mar 24-Mar 25-Mar 26-Mar 27-Mar 28-Mar 29-Mar 30-Mar 31-Mar 1-Apr 2-Apr 3-Apr 4-Apr 5-Apr 6-Apr
• Date range: 3/22 – 4/6
• Total results: 3,108
• Top domains: flickr.com
twitter.com

19. Fan Culture Audience: Where Are They?
Counter-Culture Conversations Share of Voice
1203 All activities are visual/
creative oriented.
774
482
347
153 123
26
Video/photos Microblog Mainstreams Blog Social Forum Wiki
network
Counter-Culture Activities
Peeps Diorama
29% 30%
Using Peeps to make Craft
or Art Works
4% Experiment/Game/Weird
37%
activities
Taking photos/videos of
Peeps

20. Influential Fan Culture Communities
www.seriouseats.com – surprisingly this is supposed to be a traditional channel for
housewives, food lovers or family to discuss about food related topics
The Peepshi Phenomenon
Started on March 31 by Grace Kang on seriouseats.com
Receive 42comments The Post is being tweeted
and 43 favorites on the 1,764 times
original post itself
3620 tweets mentioning Peepshi
159 Peepshi photos are posted on Flickr
234 blog posts talking about Peepshi
Within only 5 days (3/31 – 4/5)

21. Influential Fan Culture Communities
14 Flickr groups are
centered around www.flickr.com
taking photos of
Peeps
• 1,438 Peeps photos were posted from 3/22-4/6
Total 4,083 members • 83% of these were Counter-culture photo types
of these groups
These 14 groups
created 3,592
Peeps photos total
Let's face it, Peeps are colorful,
fun, and are wonderful when
photographed in real world
situations!
- CJ Universal – sponsor and judge of the Flickr
Peeps off contest -

22. Influential Fan Culture Communities
Counter Culture YouTube video Types
Ways to kill peeps
15% Others Unusual things/videos that
14% people can do to Peeps such as:
• Showing videos of peeps put
Peeps Diorama Peeps on chairs (and that’s it)
26% experiment/weird
activities • How to take nude photos with
(microwave) Peeps
45% • Use Peeps as bath sponge
• Stick Peeps on mirror, stick
peeps on someone’s nose, or
stick Peeps anywhere on the
face
• Videos of chewing Peeps (and
Counter Culture YouTube Video Views just that)
YouTube videos are getting more
38%
and more focused on different
32% ways to ‘torture’ Peeps.
23%
Total fan culture videos: 153
7% (date range: 3/22 – 4/6)
Peeps Diorama Peeps Ways to kill peeps Others
experiment/weird
activities

23. Influential Profile: 4 Peeps Sake You Tube Channel
Example of Fan Culture Site
 Been making Peeps videos about 4 years
 Have uploaded total 118 videos
 Most viewed video received 18,876 views
 Most viewers like the videos
 Most videos have adult contents

24. Influential Profile: Shelly S
Shelly S is a female librarian from New York
She has 57 peeps photos which attracted
5945 views in total. And all of these photos
are classified as fan culture types
The concept of her photos are toys/food
diorama

25. Influential Profile: University of Chicago Magazine
The Magazine has 72 peeps photos
which attracted 19146 views in total.
And all of these photos are classified as
fan culture types

26. Many People Like to See Peeps Explode
• There were 190 YouTube videos of Peeps exploding in microwaves
at the time of this report, and the number continues to grow.
• The number of views for these videos are 2,841,589; with 11,213
comments.
What made people enjoy
these videos?
Others Taste better
6% 9%
No reason
12%
Gross
19%
Fun
54%
Video “Three Peeps In A Basket... In A
Microwave Oven” (745 comments)

27. Fan Culture: Where It Came From?
In 4 of the top sites about Peeps
from Google, 3 have content that
aligns with fan culture behavior
Photo of Peeps got shot,
Peeps in a strip club
“…Peeps can also be eaten out of the
microwave. This is often done in
conjunction with "Peep Jousting", a game
in which two Peeps are placed in the
microwave with toothpicks stuck in them.
The Peeps expand in the microwave, the
player whose Peep pierces the other Peep
gets the honor of eating both hot and
gooey Peeps…”
Showing methods of testing Peeps
reactions to heat, cold, pressure,..etc.

28. Verbatim Posts about Exploding Peeps
That basket's totally ruined. It was awesome, though! I loved the end, where
you turned the microwave off and they deflated. xD
(Arithmatis – YouTube audience)
oh my gosh that looked so gross but FUNNY!!! XD though I feel bad for them
now. I microwave a peep and it almost exploded the fluff came out the side.....
I'm gonna post it XD XD soon as my computer lets me
as
(MewBerrylvy – YouTube audience)
lol I have microwave a not opened bag of marshmallows it had about a
hundred of them or something try it and post it on youtube it is funny
but
(sweetbob67 – YouTube audience)
OHMYGOSH NOOO THE PEEPS D: you expanded their marshmallowy
insides and they exploded out of the basket. D: and yet strangely that was
interesting enough to watch. niiiice one :D
(HollowBreath – YouTube Audience)
Peeps are gross.
They deserve that.
(AndrewKalember – YouTube audience)

29. Various Reasons For Microwaving Peeps
Cheap
clearance
Taste better Hobby
Microwave
Peeps
Curiosity Hate Peeps
Pagan ritual Entertaining

30. Traditional
vs
Fan Culture

31. Daily Volume: Traditional vs. Fan Culture
2000
1800 There has been a slight increase
of counter-culture conversations
1600 during Easter time. However, the
volume of this community is
1400 more stable and unseasonal than
traditional ones.
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
22-Mar 23-Mar 24-Mar 25-Mar 26-Mar 27-Mar 28-Mar 29-Mar 30-Mar 31-Mar 1-Apr 2-Apr 3-Apr 4-Apr 5-Apr 6-Apr
Tradition Counter-Culture

32. Share of Voice: Tradition vs Fan Culture
5088
Traditional Share of Voice
3115
1627 1581
1362
509
24
Microblog Blog Mainstreams Forum Social Network Video/Phot Wiki
Counter-Culture Share of Voice
1203
Counter-culture audience are
more visualized behaviors
774 compared to Traditional ones
482
347
153 123
26
Video/photos Microblog Mainstreams Blog Social network Forum Wiki

33. Traditional Audience vs Fan Culture Audience
The traditional audience adopted some counter culture activities, however, still remain
the characters of traditional audience.
Some of these micro trends include:
 Using Peeps to make unusual food (38% of Flickr traditional photos)
 Eating Peeps in unusual ways (33% of Flickr traditional photos)
 Use Peeps as toys for family playing together (25% of Flickr traditional photos)
Family/Friends playing Peeps war
together (put them in microwave) as
Peepshi  and this is even new term
part of a family thing

34. Traditional Audience
About to be Fan Culture Audience:
There is a set of customers who discuss their general feelings toward
Peeps, but they also enjoy the Counter-culture activities.
Research shows that majority of this audience is made up of
teenagers or from family that having teenagers, as many
discussions about Peeps (for both traditional and fan culture activities)
are found on teen forums (or having most talkers are teenagers).
http://www.gaiaonline.com/forum/
(115 conversations about Peeps in March)
http://www.sodahead.com/living/
(492 conversations about Peeps)
http://www.fanpop.com/
(Marshmallow Peeps Club with 757 fans , 44 videos and 65 photos)
Where is the noise?

35. Cross-Over Opportunities
Sentiment
Neutral Positive
35% 26%
Negative
39%
20% Audience's Views of Peeps
18%
10%
6% 6%
5%
4%
3%
Yummy Cute I like them Cant have Too much Gross Yucky Simply don’t
but I don’t too many at sugar like
eat them once
Positive Negative

36. Example of Missing Between Traditional and Fan Culture
Flickr name: Gelatobaby
Alissa Walker from Hollywood
Profile: writer, gelato-eater, and a
walker in LA
She wrote articles/blogs and posted
photos on 16 different online and
hard-copy magazines.
Peeps related activities: making
Peeps craft art, cooking food that
having Peeps, creating Peeps
diorama, and holding party with
Peeps theme
She has 122 photos of Peeps with
attracted 2135 views Is she traditional or is she counter culture ?

37. Cross Over Opportunities: In Their Own Words
I love peeps!!! What's not to love about them? They're sugar-coated sugar!
So amazingly delicious... Mmmm......
Swedishcurly – 16 years old
I don't eat them anymore cuz there's far too much sugar in 'em but I loved
'em as a kid! I wish I did still eat 'em.....they have 'em for every holiday now!
Divajinx from IN
I can't eat peeps. =[ Their little faces staring at me as I bring them closer to
my mouth... It makes me feel like a terrible person.
Damn marshmallows. Guilt-tripping me like that.
CyniqueCharme – 17 years old
I love chocolate and sweets but NEVER peeps, A lot of my friends love them
though.
Fury girl – 17 years old
peeps.... I only eat one, maybe two. after that, I feel sick from all that sugar
jam-packed into that little treat.
Kimberly– 18 years old

38. Marshmallow Peeps Counterculture Peeps
MARSHMALLOW PEEPS FANPOP Site description: Fanpop is a
The candy we love to hate… network of fan clubs for fans of
http://www.fanpop.com/spots/marshmallow-peeps/ television, movies, music and
Fan members: 793 more to discuss and share
Established: 2008 photos, videos, news and
opinions with fellow fans.
Example of fan pick topics:
Activities: counterculture-oriented content
• Videos: 44
• Photos: 90
• Fan picks: 8
• Forum discussions: 2
• Links: 44
Impactful author’s bio: DrDevience
Name: Lori Leidig
Gender: Female
Age: 52 years old
Nationality: US citizen living in Sweden
Affiliation site: one of top 1000 contributors in
2009 on Associated content website
http://www.associatedcontent.com

39. Conclusions

40. Conclusions
Compare differences between traditional vs counterculture
Traditional culture Counterculture
Audience identified Family-oriented, young parents, Teenagers, young adults
young mothers, housewife
Overall sentiment Positive Major negative
Negative
Present on social media Text-driven (Twitter, forums, Image-driven (Flick, Youtube,
etc.) etc.)
What makes them interested? Favorite/ new flavors Videos of creative torturing ways
Cooking recipes Peeps dioramas
Other experiments (other than
microwave)
Seasonality Easter All year round
Trend indication Peeps marketing strategies to Microwave Peeps is becoming
approach traditional consumers familiar and less interested from
will shift to public events like social media viewers. Peeps fan
Peeps show, contests, Peeps culturewill be fragmented and
for travel, etc. scatter into more creative
activities

41. Conclusions and Recommendations
• Peeps traditional and fan culture exist alongside each other, yet independently
• The most popular fan culture recognized community is microwave Peeps
• The counter-culture community will be sustainable as number of people
involving is increasing by time and with spiral effect of social media channels
• Peeps fan cultures will develop in the way that not support selling more
traditional Peeps products to consumers, but creating buzz among
Marshmallow Peeps brand
• Action to take: encourage development of positive fan cultures by starting
new innovative trend such as video contest that show creative ways to make
use of Peeps for young teenagers etc.

42. Suggested Next Steps For Research
How can the fan culture of Peeps be
leveraged by the brand?
Who are these How can we reach
What are they doing?
people? them?
What draws What do they
Why do they Online Social In-store
Seasonal Year-Round Projects them to the need from Events
like Peeps? Media Products
culture? us?
Merchandise that Just Born can create around the Peeps brands that will
serve the Fan Culture while not disrupting the Traditional Culture

43. THANK YOU
Warren Sukernek
Warren.Sukernek@Alterian.com
@warrenss
206-547-1588| Web: socialmedia.alterian.com | Blog: www.engagingtimes.com | Twitter:
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