Fan Campaign

Fan campaigns aim to influence decisions by TPTB. The are usually fan run.
A fan campaign may aim to stop the cancellation of a beloved show, bring back a particular character or release a cancelled show on DVD. 
This can be in the form of letter campaigns, organizing fans to buy billboards, ads in the industry publication "Variety," coordination in sending items to TPTB such as black roses see Fan Fervor and Dead Roses. , hashtags, and many more creative actions to get fans engaged in order to bring attention to their cause.
Another kind of fan campaign was raising funds The Hollywood Walk of Fame. 
The original Star Trek fan campaign for renewal is probably one of the best known in the everyday world. It has inspired active and vocal cultures in many fandoms to protest pending cancellations and production values in their favourite sources. Another well known fan campaign took place in 1976, when Star Trek fans were credited with convincing then-U.S. President Gerald R. Ford to name the first NASA space shuttle orbiter after the starship Enterprise rather than Constitution as he had planned.
== Examples of Fan Campaigns==
See :Category:Fan Campaigns & Petitions.
===Sample Images===
Image:"Mr. Little" Commercial.jpg|a screenshot from the 1990, "Mr. Little" Commercial for Quantum Leap
Image:simonsimonvarietyad.jpg|a 1987 ad in "Variety" paid for by Simon and Simon fans: "Earlier this year a group of us chipped in to put a quarter-page ad in Variety in support of Simon & Simon, which we think may have added weight to our letter campaign. Having gotten this far, we are thinking about placing a second one which would be used to thank the network for renewing the show and urging that it be given a full seventh season. To this end, if everyone who reads this zine can contribute $10 or $15, we will use it to buy space again - maybe even a half-page ad this time. Make your checks out to me personally and I'll see to the placing of the copy and see that all contributors receive a Xerox of it as it appears." from the editorial of Brothers in Arms #1 
File:Angeltruck.jpg|for Angel (TV Series): the Angel billboard truck
Image:spectre1977.jpg|call for action for Spectre by Susan Sackett
Image:savemaxheadroom.jpg|from a 1987/88 fan campaign for Max Headroom
 Image:savespace1999.jpg| an ad by The Space:1999 Society, posted in Cleveland State University's student newspaper
 Image:fkad.jpg| This is the full-page ad that appeared in SciFi Magazine, purchased by fans, thanking Sony for issuing Forever Knight on DVD
 Image:jerichoad.jpg| Jericho ad 
File:Tony stark fan campaign billboard.jpg|a billboard in Los Angeles by an anonymous group of fans campaigning to bring Tony Stark back to the MCU (2021) 
 
See Fan Campaign/List.
==Reactions==
Fans write letters to TPTB because they feel very strongly about some aspect, and sometimes emotions and tactics overtake manners and commonsense. Fans are often told, by other fans, to practice the tactics for successful letter campaigns, ones that include politeness, logical arguments, and not to be too emotional. In the early days, fans were often told NOT to write about any fan club affiliation as that hinted at an organized motive and diluted their effectiveness. "Remember to write as an individual who enjoy ML's acting, not as a member of a fan club." - from Despatch #19 (1974) 
For an example of a letter, see these detailed instructions.
See one example of fans discussing the effectiveness of a 2000 fan campaign at Fan Rebellion.
==Effectiveness==
It is impossible, aside from anecdotal comments, to gauge the success of the various letter and fan campaigns over the years. Information from the industry is most likely spotty and not reliable. Fans themselves were hopeful, but unsure. 
===Star Trek===
One Star Trek fan wrote: "I'm really proud of the fact that I was one of the ones who wrote in when Bjo Trimble asked all the viewers to send letters asking NBC not to cancel the series after the second season. Maybe my letter made a difference, maybe it didn't, but I like to think that I helped to make the third season happen." from The K/S Press #38 
It is widely believed that the third season of Star Trek's original series was created due to fans' various letters and activities. Due to this triumph, Star Trek fans also waged numerous campaigns to alter plot points in the show (more McCoy, no dead Spock...) with varying degrees of success. 
Regardless of the eventual outcome, reactions to letter-writing campaigns were not always positive and not always seen in a positive light by those on the receiving end. Some TPTB felt them intrusive, bullying, something that took up valuable time and money, and more a nuisance than anything.
At least in one instance, a Star Trek: DS9 actor counseled fans to tone it down as their pleas to bring a character back to the show (after he'd been killed) was a turn-off: 
Joan Marie Verba also addresses this issue: 
===Beauty and the Beast===
See Fan Fervor and Dead Roses.
The letter and other fan campaigns in Beauty and the Beast (TV) were intense and highly encouraged by the celebrities and showrunners themselves, and fans in turn constantly encouraged other fans. Addresses of sponsors, television stations, and other venues were almost a mainstay of fan publications. One example from March 1989: 
In September 1988, George R.R. Martin relayed an idea to the editors of Beauty and The Beast: The Newsletter: 
In April 1989, George R.R. Martin told a fan: 
But despite this constant fanning of fan energies and fears, fans were also told these letters and calls were ineffectual. This was something that was stated very early on. In February 1989, Ray Faiola of CBS told fans: 
This was echoed later by George R.R. Martin. In In 1992, a fan asked Martin if Beauty and the Beast (TV) was brought back because of fans' letters and letter campaign.
===Negative effects of fan campaigns===
*see Controversy and Criticisms around BTS ARMY
* In an 2021 interview with the UK newspaper "Metro", actor Lucy Lawless mentioned, how a fan petition that called for Lucy Lawless to take over the role of Cara Dune on The Mandalorian after Gina Carano was fired for offensive tweets actually hurt her chances of working at another, "Star Wars"-related Disney+ project:
==Meta and Interviews==
* Pipeline Interview with Ray Faiola: Letters... and the Eye of the Beholder (1989)
* "Twin Peaks," "Quantum Leap" fans are undeniably devoted (1991)
==References==
Category:Fandom Occurrences
Category:Glossary
Category:Activism
Category:Industry