Brand community was first presented by Albert Muniz in 2001 in the Journal for Consumer Research. He wrote "brand community is a specialized, non-geographically bound community, based on a structered set of social relations among admirers of a brand (Muniz, pg 412)." You can read the complete article here; Brand Community.
Characteristics
members are bound together by shared interest in a brand.
communities form around brands with a strong image, a rich and lengthly history, and threatining competion (Muniz, pg 414).
Muniz study the three elements that make up a community; consciousness of kind, rituals and traditions, and moral responsibility.
Muniz Study on Brand Community
Consciousness of Kind (pg 418) - Members of the brand communites feel an important connection to the brand, but more importantly, they feel a stronger connection toward one another. Members feel that they "sort of know each other" at some level, even if they have never met.
Legitimacy (pg 419) - Members differentiate between true members and those who are not. ex) a male high school student in an interview recognizes a strong similarity between himself and other Bronco drivers;
"who else drives Broncos? Guys like myself and guys who like engines. And preppy guys who drive them because they are in right now. My Bronco won't be popular with them [because it's not new], but I don't care (Muniz, pg 419)."
It's not found in all brand communities, ex) not found in the Macintosh community.
Oppositional Brand Loyalty (pg 420)- When members avoid a certain brand because it is not consistent with their beliefs and/or a brand community. This strengthens the bond between members in a brand community. ex) Macintosh vs PC
Rituals and Traditions (pg 421) - Represents a vital social process by which the meaning of the community is reprodcued and transmitted within and beyond the community. Members typically center the ritual or tradition on shared consumption experiences with the brand. The purpose is to maintain the culture of the community. ex) When Saab drives pass each other on the road they tend to honk, flash their lights, or wave at each other (pg 422)
Celebrating History of the Brand (pg 422) - keeps communities vital and reproduces their culture. Knowing the history of a brand is a form of cultural capital within the brand community. It demonstrates one's expertise, secure membership status, and commitment to the larger community. ex) many websites have a page that provides background on the history of the company, evidence of shared beliefs of brand superiority, and Apple's long-held commitment to friendly and accessible technology.
Sharing Brand Stories (pg 423) - Stories based on common experiences with the brand serve to invest the brand with meaning, and meaningfully link community member to community member.
Moral Responsibility (pg 424) - a sense of duty to the community as a whole, and to individual members of the community.
Intergrating and Retaining Members (pg 424) - Members in a brand community reject people who switch brands and in some cases members feel as if it changes their personal relationship. ex) mac users switching to pc. Saab drivers refer to those who have left as "leaving the brotherhood"
Assisting in the Use of the Brand (pg 425) - Looking out for and helping other members in their consumption of the brand. ex) some Saab owners report pulling over when ever they see another Saab broken down on the side of the road.
Discussion (pg 426)
Found evidence of brand communities in both face-to-face and computer-mediated environments.
Community founded around one good or service, not many.
Positive aspects
consumers have a greater voice than would be the case.
information resource for consumers
communal interaction generally provides wider social benefits to its members
Brandfests
members "meet for a brief period at organized events or bandfests that community-oriented companies sponsor (Solomon, pg 386)."
ex) AVALAUNCH Pray for Snow party
Anti-Brand Community
Anti-brand communities typically focus on one dominant brand or corporation and are nongeographically bound communities based on a structured set of social relationships (Hollenbeck, pg 479). Members could also oppose specific brands or corporate brands.
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