GETTING BRAND

COMMUNITIES RIGHT
Presented by: Muhammad Amad
 Harley-Davidson (1983):
 Faced extinction but 25 years later it become one of the top 50
brands with brand value of $7.8 Billion.
 It was due to Harley’s commitment towards its brand community.
 Inspired by Harley’s results and emergence of Web 2.0, marketers
are building Brand Communities because in today’s age people are
hungry for a sense of connection.
 Few people still don’t understand the benefits of Brand
Communities and they have serious misconceptions about
them.
 On the basis of 30 years of researching, building and
nurturing Brand Communities the researchers of this paper
have identified 7 commonly held myths about such
communities.
 MYTH#1 A BRAND COMMUNITY IS A
MARKETING STRATEGY
 The Reality: A Brand Community is a business Strategy

 It’s a common mistake that companies relate their Community Building with
marketing function.
 Harley Davidson in 1985 completely reformulated their business model
around a Brand Community philosophy.
 They changed their corporate culture.
 Their operating procedures.
 Their marketing programs.
 Their governance structure so as to compliment their community strategy.
MYTH#1 A BRAND COMMUNITY IS A
MARKETING STRATEGY (CONT’D)
 Harley’s community was based on the Brotherhood of riders.
 Now how did they achieve this?
 Hired staff to organize community reach events rather than outsourcing
such events.
 Employees became friends with the customers and were highly motivated.
 Many employees became riders and many riders joined the company.
 Executives were required to spend time with customers in the field and get
insights from them.
 All major corporate decisions were taken by keeping in mind their effects
on the community.
 Establishment of Harley Owners Group (H.O.G).
 MYTH#2 A BRAND COMMUNITY EXISTS
TO SERVE THE BUSINESS
 The Reality: A Brand Community exists to serve the people in it.

 Community based brands help people meet their needs.

 People join communities;
 For emotional support.
 To contribute to the greater good of all members.
 To promote interests and skills etc.
 MYTH#2 A BRAND COMMUNITY EXISTS
TO SERVE THE BUSINESS (CONT’D)
 Outdoorseiten.com
 A European website where hiking and outdoor enthusiasts exchanged
information about their shared lifestyle e.g;
 Where is the best place to hike with children.
 Which shoes are best for rocky terrain etc.

 Eventually the community created their own Outdoorseiten brand of tents

and backpacks.

 The community brand grew not from a need to express a shared identity but
from a desire to meet member’s specialized needs.
MYTH#2 A BRAND COMMUNITY EXISTS
TO SERVE THE BUSINESS (CONT’D)
 Often people are more interested in the social
interactions that come from brand affiliations.
 They join communities to build new relationships e.g. facebook,
twitter, country clubs, Gold’s Gym etc.
 Brand loyalty can be achieved in return for meeting people’s
community needs.
 MYTH#3 BUILD THE BRAND AND THE
COMMUNITY WILL FOLLOW
 The Reality: Engineer the Community and the brand will be strong.

 Strategy Consultancy Jump Associates has identified three basic forms of

communities affiliation;
 Pools.
 Webs.
 Hubs.
MYTH#3 BUILD THE BRAND AND THE
COMMUNITY WILL FOLLOW (CONT’D)
 MYTH#4 BRAND COMMUNITIES SHOULD BE
LOVE-FESTS FOR FAITHFUL BRAND
ADVOCATES
 The Reality: Smart companies embrace the conflicts that make communities
thrive.

 Communities are political and conflict is common.

 E.g. PlayStation gamers dislike xbox, Apple lovers hate Microsoft and Dell,
Dunkin’ Donuts coffee drinkers reject Strabucks.

 In 2002 Porsche launched Cayenne SUV.

 Owners of 911 models refused to accept it.
 It did not have the racing heritage and described Cayenne drivers as soccer
moms who did not know anything about the brand.
 Even banned them from rennlist.com.
 Porsche responded with a new Ad campaign.
 MYTH#5 OPINION LEADERS BUILD
STRONG COMMUNITIES
 The Reality: Communities are strongest when everyone plays a role.

 Opinion leaders are important because they spread information, influence

decisions, and help bring new ideas but they are not all.
 Every member in a successful Brand Community plays his role, or take on a
new role, or alternate between roles and solve tensions across roles in conflict.
MYTH#5 OPINION LEADERS BUILD
STRONG COMMUNITIES (CONT’D)
 MYTH#6 ONLINE SOCIAL NETWORKS ARE
THE KEY TO A COMMUNITY STRATEGY.
 The Reality: Online networks are just one tool, not a community strategy.

 Online social networks create lots of buzz, CEO’s demand for a web2.0
strategy and the new technology presents opportunities to reach worldwide
customers.
 But these networks have some limitations like;
 Antisocial behavior.
 Small in size.
 Brief online interactions may lead to weak social bonds.
 Large part of life still takes place off-line.
 MYTH#6 ONLINE SOCIAL NETWORKS ARE THE
KEY TO A COMMUNITY STRATEGY (CONT’D).
 Smart marketers use online tools selectively to support community needs.
 L’Oreal has brands along two dimensions.
 Brands of authority Vs brands of conversation.
 Brands of authority(mainstream i.e. L’Oreal) offer expert affiliation and
advice in building community through heavy TV Advertisement featuring
celebrity spokespeople.
 La Roche-Posay(niche brand of authority) nurtures a worldwide community
of dermatologists to expertly represent the brand.
 MYTH#6 ONLINE SOCIAL NETWORKS ARE
THE KEY TO A COMMUNITY STRATEGY
(CONT’D).
 Brands of conversation thrive on social interaction and engagement. E.g.
Garnier(mainstream) encourages well known bloggers to share what they
are doing to make the world a better place.
 Kiehl’s (niche brand of conversation) uses a grassroots focus on local
charity sponsorships, in store customer bulletin boards, employee
volunteerism in surrounding community.
 The goal of L’Oreal community building strategies is to always stay
connected with the people.
 MYTH#7 SUCCESSFUL BRAND
COMMUNITIES ARE TIGHTLY MANAGED
AND CONTROLLED
 The Reality: Of and by the people, communities defy managerial control.

 Excessive control has been common to community management.

 Coca-Cola pulling off its soda in 1985.
 Microsoft stifling its internal blogger Robert Scoble.
 Hasbro suing fans for publishing contents based on its brands.

 Brands communities are not corporate assets, they should be nurtured and
facilitated by the company rather than controlled.
 MYTH#7 SUCCESSFUL BRAND
COMMUNITIES ARE TIGHTLY MANAGED
AND CONTROLLED (CONT’D)
 Vans(skateboarding shoes)
 Built community through support rather than control.
 Stayed close with fans to study their preferences.
 Worked with lead users to co-design new products.
 Opened privately owned skate parks.
 Sponsored Warped Tour a travelling music festival to support its customers’
love for music.
 Realized a need to have a national skateboarding championship.
 In short………
“Community is an effective strategy if it is approached
with the right mind-set and skills. A strong brand
community increases customer loyalty, lowers marketing
costs, presents true meaning of the brand, generates new
ideas to grow business”
HARLEY DAVIDSON CENTURY
COMMERCIAL
THAT’S ALL THANKS!!!!!!!!!
 Recommended website www.brandcommunity.hbr.org