How VIZ Media streamlined operations and built a fanbase through UGC

Manga (graphic novel) and anime powerhouse VIZ Media is a leader in American Japanese pop culture, publishing and distributing content to half of all Gen Z manga readers. With a diverse audience comprising multiple fandoms, the brand intended to build a more fan-driven website with user-generated content (UGC). Aiming to engage the brand’s sweeping community of readers authentically and reduce internal workload, VIZ Media looked to Emplifi.

Creating digital rapport with fans

Previously, VIZ Media used forums to interact with readers online. To double down on that engagement while drawing their readership closer to the brand, the team needed a solution that would incorporate their fan content on the site. With Emplifi, the brand created a “Fan Zone” gallery of UGC, encouraging their readers to upload photos of their manga collections and outfits inspired by the stories. Since the gallery went live, they’ve seen a 27.55% year-to-date engagement rate.

Collecting usable content easily — with permission

Creating community-driven experiences across each fandom required VIZ Media to collect a large volume of high-quality content. With a highly engaged community, VIZ media collected almost 50,000 pieces of UGC for commercial use using Emplifi’s permissions functionality to easily secure content for all channels.

“Emplifi allows us to ask for permissions in a really streamlined way that helps our team move forward.” — Ryan Crowder, Senior Social Media Manager

Using content catering to the subsections of VIZ’s community allowed the brand to connect with its fans in an authentic way, beyond traditional branded ads and influencer content.

“Our fan communities are sort of a proof of concept for our casual website visitors. If someone comes to check out a series that’s really popular, they can see all the cosplay (like a sort of fandom around that property) and they can kind of relate to it more.” — Ryan Crowder, Senior Social Media Manager

Reducing workload with efficient content collection

VIZ Media was also looking for a way to streamline content collection and remove barriers that typically hindered the company’s efficiency. Not only did the integration of Emplifi unclog tedious workflow, but it also didn’t add additional tasks, allowing UGC to be approved easily internally, and seamlessly showcased online.