USC Annenberg School's Henry Jenkins and Robert Kozinets on Fan Activism

From Star Trek to K-pop, fan culture is everywhere — and as USC Professors Henry Jenkins and Robert Kozinets say, so is fan activism. This week, we’re taking a more theoretical approach to New Activism, exploring the roots of activism in fandom, and how corporate fans — also known as invested consumers — can help companies improve their corporate social responsibility initiatives. In this episode, Jenkins and Kozinets offer valuable insights into the ways companies can successfully interact with their fans on social issues related to business and promote civic engagement. They also discuss the do’s and don’ts of responding to widespread social activism and offer tips on staying connected with your company’s fandom from the c-suite.Featuring:Henry Jenkins (@henryjenkins), Author and Provost Professor of Communication, Journalism and Cinematic Arts, and Robert Kozinets (@Kozinets), Social media marketing researcher and Jayne and Hans Hufschmid Chair of Strategic Public Relations, both of the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.Host:Fred Cook (@fredcook), Chairman of Golin, a global PR firm. Author of “Improvise - Unorthodox Career Advice from an Unlikely CEO” and Director of the USC Center for Public RelationsFollow us: @Center4PR (Twitter, Facebook and Instagram)Newsletter: News from the USC Center for Public RelationsVisit our website: https://annenberg.usc.edu/research/center-public-relations Production CreditsA production of the USC Annenberg Center for Public Relations at the University of Southern California.Host: Fred CookExecutive Producer: Ron AntonetteSeason 7 Producers: Joe Carreon and Anvi MahajanProduction: Camille Culbertson, Jack Gisler, Toma BattinoEditorial: Joey Cha, Ivan Feng, Natalie Lopez, Grace AnSocial Content: Angelina Tran, Hailey Evans, Arushi Purkayastha, Chris ApyGrowth: Van Luu, Shaan DhaliwalLinksFollow the USC Center for PR (@usccenterforpr) on Instagram and LinkedIn. Follow Fred Cook on LinkedIn. Find all our reports at annenberg.usc.edu/cpr.Download the 2025 Relevance Report at annenberg.usc.edu/relevance