Brand community
A brand community is a group of consumers who share a common interest in a specific brand, often forming around products or services that resonate with their values and identity. These communities can emerge both in physical spaces and online, transcending geographical boundaries. Prominent examples include the communities surrounding brands like Harley-Davidson, Apple, and Starbucks. Members of brand communities typically exhibit loyalty and engagement, often participating in activities, sharing experiences, and providing feedback to the brand. The role of brand communities has grown with advancements in technology and social media, which facilitate interaction and connection among members. While brand communities can enhance customer loyalty and contribute to a brand's success, they can also present challenges if community members resist changes or new product introductions that deviate from established brand values. Overall, brand communities foster a sense of belonging and collaboration among consumers, making them a valuable asset for companies looking to build strong relationships with their customers.
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Brand community
A brand community is a community that forms around a particular product or brand. The people in this group are typically like-minded consumers who identify with a specific brand and share traits and qualities reflected in that brand. Examples of brands that have communities include Harley-Davidson, Starbucks, Lego, Apple, Jeep, and PlayStation. Brand communities can form in support of any brand, but they are most likely to establish themselves around companies with a strong image. Brand communities can help companies become very successful. Many businesses use brand communities in their favor as part of their marketing campaigns.
Background
Brand communities are not bound by geography. People can form brand communities that meet physically in person or virtually online. Professors Albert M. Muniz, Jr. and Thomas C. O'Guinn introduced the concept in a 2001 study titled "Brand Community" for the Journal of Consumer Research. The study focused on the brand communities of Ford Bronco (a vehicle brand), Macintosh (a computer brand), and Saab (a vehicle brand).
In the paper, the two noted how consumer culture changed over history with the rise of brands. Branded goods replaced unbranded products. The branded items came with mass advertising campaigns aimed at furthering a company's reach. The meaning of community changed, as it was no longer limited by geography. The introduction of mass transit, media, computers, and other technologies helped to bring more people together, widening communities. These also helped contribute to the rise of marketing and advertising, since marketers for specific brands could reach more people through these expanded communication avenues. Because the media and other technologies transcended geography, brands were able to follow suit. Muniz and O'Guinn noted that brand communities shared the "same consciousness, rituals and traditions, and sense of moral responsibility."
Using the 2001 "Brand Community" study, David M. Kalman further explained brand community in his 2009 study "Brand Communities, Marketing, and Media." He explained the power of brand communities to particular brands. He stated that members could help promote certain brands and provide market feedback about a company's products. Brand communities create an experience for customers that makes them feel included and a part of something. Instead of an "us versus them" relationship, brand communities produce a "we" relationship. Members within the community can interact with other members as well as the company itself. In addition, companies can use their brand community members to develop programs that help strengthen customer relations.
While brand communities are mostly positive for companies, sometimes they can hurt a brand. Loyal brand community members may not like new product lines that they feel do not seem to fit within the established brand or ones they think contradict a company's values. For example, when Porsche, a well-known luxury car brand, introduced the Cayenne SUV in 2002, members of the company's brand community were not happy and rebelled against the brand since the new vehicle was not considered a "real" sports car, which was what Porsche was known for. Additionally, some brand community members show how loyal and passionate they are by competing with other rival brand communities, such as the Starbucks brand community versus the Dunkin' Donuts brand community or the PlayStation brand community versus the Xbox brand community.
Overview
Consumers who are attached to a specific brand may organize into communities to engage with others who share a common interest in or admiration for a brand. They may form groups to share their experiences with a company's product or brand. People join these communities to show their loyalty and commitment to a brand. These consumers typically possess traits that reflect a brand's values. Many high-profile companies benefit from brand communities.
Harley-Davidson, a motorcycle brand, is well known for its brand community. Members clad in leather riding gear organize to ride their Harley-Davidson brand motorcycles. They participate in and host charitable events. However, the brand was not very successful until it established a brand community. In the early 1980s, the brand was in danger of folding. As a way to save the brand, the company decided to build a brand community. This helped reestablish the company and developed a strong fan base associated with it.
The company focused its efforts on its customers and designed a community outreach program that acquainted its employees with its customers. This led many of its employees to become riders themselves and embrace the brand community. It also led many riders to seek employment with Harley-Davidson. This outreach helped the company determine what its customers wanted from the brand and helped it become successful once again. Other brands followed Harley-Davidson and sought to establish brand communities for themselves. Some of these included vehicle maker Jeep, technology company Apple, toy company Lego, and coffee chain Starbucks.
With the rise of technology in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, many companies turned to the Internet and social media sites to help establish brand communities online. Instead of meeting in person, members of brand communities can join virtual communities in support of a brand. For example, Kraft Foods created an online community where its consumers can share recipes, cooking tips, and stories about using Kraft products. This gives members of its brand community a way to interact with one another and the brand itself. Social networking site, Reddit, contains myriad communities of like-minded consumers who pose questions and initiate discussions on the Reddit discussion board of the distinct brand.
Online brand communities offer other benefits to businesses. They give companies another way to interact with consumers, which helps to boost brand exposure. The companies can use these communities to test new products and obtain feedback on these products before their official launch.
Into the twenty-first century, companies continue to search for new ways to achieve success. Setting up online brand communities is one way a company can see positive results. While many companies with successful brand communities are large, even small companies can benefit from a strong brand community.
Bibliography
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Fink, Elissa. "What's More Important, Brand or Community? Hint: It's a Trick Question." Forbes, 27 Nov. 2017, www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2017/11/27/whats-more-important-brand-or-community-hint-its-a-trick-question/#623379032a18. Accessed 8 Jan. 2025.
Fournier, Susan, and Lara Lee. "Getting Brand Communities Right." Harvard Business Review, Apr. 2009, hbr.org/2009/04/getting-brand-communities-right. Accessed 8 Jan. 2025.
Hong, Pat. "10 Exceptional Examples of Brand Communities." Linkdex, 15 Jan. 2015, www.linkdex.com/en-us/inked/10-exceptional-examples-of-brand-communities. Accessed 8 Jan. 2025.
Muniz, Albert M., Jr., and Thomas C. O'Guinn. "Brand Community." Journal of Consumer Research, vol. 27, no. 4, Mar. 2001, pp. 412–32.
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