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- Spotlight On: "Secondary" Social Accounts
We’re back for the second installment of my three-part series examining how drivers use social media to engage with their fans, and today we’re looking at the use of “secondary” social accounts.
Secondary accounts are similar to fan club accounts, however, they differ in one significant way: they are run from the perspective of the celebrity themselves.
Celebrity fandom is built on para-social relationships. Put simply, a para-social relationship is when a fan feels as though they know a celebrity. It isn’t the knowledge that makes the relationship para-social, however, but the fact that the knowledge does not have the potential for reciprocation (i.e. no matter how much you think you know about the celebrity, they’re never going to know you back). Para-social relationships are often only mentioned in reference to extreme forms of fan behaviour, but really they’re just the everyday backbone of celebrity culture.
Social media created a seismic shift in how para-social relationships are developed and maintained. For the first time, fans had what felt like a direct line to their faves. No more sending fan letters into the ether, instead they could instantly comment, reply, and DM, and have there be a very distant chance of a response.
Now, most fans are very aware that their favourite celebrities are not actually running their own social media accounts. Rather, there is a vast network of entertainment marketing agencies that carefully curate, post, and respond as the stars. Which is all well and good, until we bring para-sociality back into account.
You see, the more corporate a social media account becomes (and/or the greater the societal awareness that celebrities aren’t actually posting as themselves becomes), the less of a drive fans have to engage with the account. They want the celebrity, not the celebrity’s team.
So. What’s the solution?
Secondary Accounts
Enter: the secondary account.
The secondary account is pretty much what it says on the tin. It’s an additional social media account, usually on Instagram, that aims to give fans a greater glimpse into the lives of their favourite celebrities. They’re usually run with a more “personal” tone, and the idea that it is actually the celebrity posting. As this exposure increases, para-social relationships begin to deepen.
Secondary accounts have grown in popularity on the grid in recent times, so let’s have a look at who has them, and how they’re using them.
Lando Norris
Lando really kick-started the current wave of secondary accounts on the grid, especially because he has two of them.
The first of these is his photography account, Lando.jpg. This was started in September 2022 when he picked up a photography hobby.
This has worked well as a secondary account for two key reasons:
There was a true element of authenticity stemming from it behind a legitimate hobby (rather than a marketing team handing him a camera for a few hours)
It provided an excuse to share additional behind-the-scenes content and glimpses into his “real” life that we may not have otherwise seen
The idea was that he would take photos while going about his days, and then as per his bio - upload almost everything to Insta.
It definitely feels like this was initially the result of a hyper-fixation as the rate of posting has steadily dropped over the life of the account. However, the now-sporadic nature of the posts is almost more alluring to fans as it becomes a special treat when they are shared.
And because one account wasn’t enough, earlier this year Lando started Land0.mov.
This account has been used far less frequently than the photography account, but it’s basically the same idea, exchanging still photos for short video snippets. It’s nothing revolutionary, but it’s an additional para-social touch point for fans, and fits in well to his overall fan engagement strategy.
Daniel Ricciardo
Soon after lando.jpg hit the scene, his then-teammate Daniel Ricciardo started daniel3.jpg in November 2022.
It had a similar premise to lando.jpg: Daniel picked up a photography hobby and would share the results through photo dumps on this account.
At a time when his main account was (and is) increasingly being used for sponsorship, daniel3.jpg provided an avenue for fans to feel as though they were seeing a more authentic version of Daniel. This was a photography account, but it was also (the illusion of) an unfiltered look into his life, away from corporate partnerships.
I plan on discussing this in more depth at a later date, but for someone so widely regarded as a fan favourite, Daniel has very little actual fan engagement going on. This secondary account serves an important purpose, but you have to ask why it’s not part of a bigger strategy.
Lewis Hamilton
Most of Lewis’ social fan engagement comes through the art of the inspirational thirst trap on his regular Instagram account, but earlier this year indegoblack dropped. As you can see from its relatively low social following, it hasn’t been heavily publicised, which is often a deliberate strategy for a secondary account. Part of the allure is that they’re exclusive to the subset of fans who care enough to 1) discover the account, and 2) want the additional content in their social feeds. It’s not supposed to be for everyone – it’s a space for fans wanting a deeper level of connection to gather.
Upon its launch, indegoblack framed itself as a community for creators, which is a clear distinction from the kinds of accounts run by Lando and Daniel.
Fans seek connection with their favourite celebrities, and so being part of a community is appealing as it implies connection to and belonging with said fave.
While this account still feels one-step removed from Lewis when compared to the .jpg accounts, it’s clever marketing from someone whose celebrity reaches far past the Formula 1 grid.
Para-social connections are often feared by those who don’t understand them, but connections can be managed and tamed for the benefit of the celebrity.
Accounts such as these are just one example of the way curated, authentic glimpses into the lives of celebrities can be used a powerful tactic to encourage fan loyalty and commitment.
I’ll be back next week for the final of this three-part series, where we’ll finally do our deep dive into the full social presence of each driver on the grid.