YouTube fan apparel: Merchandising media tie-ins for fan immersion

Many YouTube content creators sell self-branded merchandise to supplement their revenue. This research situates YouTube fan merchandise within the broader history of film tie-ins and fashion licensing. We conduct content analysis on the video content and fan apparel from three of the most-subscribed YouTube channels to explore the design strategies that these YouTubers use to create their self-branded fan apparel. Product placement, verbal promotion and scarcity marketing are techniques used to advertise the apparel and create an immersive experience for fans. YouTube fan apparel is positioned as a material interface that fans can use to find community and bond with the creators they follow, while articulating and expressing their own fashion identity through liminal play. This apparel brings elements of the YouTuber’s story world into the fan’s everyday wardrobe, blurring the boundaries between these virtual and embodied worlds.