Zhang Ruonan’s official fan club recently underwent a rebrand after a well-attended event sparked criticism online. And now, after tons of feedback from fans, they’re now officially called “little seal” or xiao yin zhang (小印章) – a play on the actress’ last name Zhang. You may be wondering why the name change? What’s wrong with “Nan’s friends” (楠朋友) as they were originally called?
A Chaotic Event Teeming with Fans
It all began at a recent brand event which was practically teeming with male attendees pushing and shoving their way through. Whilst the good turnout was something any celeb could hope for, a heaving crowd stuffed to the brim with attendees would make just about anyone claustrophobic. When photos and clips from the scene circulated online, many Netizens felt sorry for the actress. What’s more, it certainly put the spotlight on her male fans.
The “Boyfriend” Connotation
Of course there’s absolutely nothing wrong with having male fans, but Netizens claim Zhang Ruonan’s in particular are “useless” since they don’t do things for her that “good” fans typically do. For one thing, they don’t join fan club subscriptions and they certainly don’t contribute anything to fan engagement (sharing, commenting, liking) which goes a long way in helping the actress trend online. Then they don’t even buy Zhang Ruonan’s magazine covers.
All the attention also drove home the fact that the fan club’s original name Nan’s Friends (楠朋友) or nan pengyou is phonetically read the same way as “boyfriend” (男朋友) in Mandarin, which was viewed negatively by some and seen as catering towards her male fans. While the meaning behind the name is simply just Zhang Ruonan’s friends, the fan club opted to go for a name change.
Zhang Ruonan Thanks Fans After Rebrand
In the relaunch, Zhang Ruonan thanked fans for their unending support: “I want to sincerely thank everyone who are supporting me. You are my driving force. This (fan club) name makes me feel everyone’s warmth. May we grow side by side to each other.”
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