How brand communities create value. 

This week’s blog is based on a 2009 article by Shau, Muniz & Arnold . Don’t be put off because it’s from the pre-IPad era: The way people behave now is still the same.

Brand Communities

There are 12 value creating practices across the nine brand communities of study. The 12 practices are organized into four categories: (1) social networking (2) impression management (3) community engagement and (4) brand use.

(1) social networking – creating, enhancing and extending ties among brand community member

 IA) – welcoming

1B) – empathizing

1C) - governing

(2) impression management – have an external, outward focus. Want to create favourable of brand and community in the social universe beyond the brand community.

(2A) – evangelizing

(2B) – justifying

(3) Community engagement practices reinforce members’ increasing engagement with brand community.  Brand is secondary here.  Practices are competitive.

(3A) - staking

(3B) -  milestoning

(3C) -  badging

(3D) - documenting

(4) Brand use

(4A) - grooming

(4B) - customising

(4C) - commoditising

Each practice exhibits three things:

(1) understandings - knowledge and tacit cultural templates

(2) procedures or explicit performance rules, and,

(3) emotional engagements

Practices generate consumption opportunities. For example, by documenting commodisation, others are able to copy, thus generating consumption. Trying to achieve milestones likewise generates consumption. Grooming creates value by preserving appearance and performance. The empathetic nature of a brand community adds to the switching cost and means members are more likely to stay with that brand community. In fact, Muniz et al, argue that all practices are an act of value creation, and that if people have the opportunity to construct brand communities and the freedom to modify products, they will.

Implications for Marketers

Actions that marketers should take are to plug the gaps in the brand community, thereby making it stronger.  For example, perhaps a brand community has developed brand use practices but has little social networking practices. This is where the company should foster or sponsor social networking practices.  Perhaps a brand community has developed various customising techniques but has developed no milestoning practices. Perhaps the Marketeer could offer a branded book or emblem to commemorate the milestone. Perhaps the company website could also host ideas from other companies about how to customize a brand.  The company can also get the brand community in designing new products:  Feedback about new flavours or looks; If marketers support and nourish brand communities they have access to a community dedicated to the brand and how to make it better.

Do you agree that all practices are an act of value creation? Comments welcome!

Schau, H.J., Muniz Jr., A.M. & Arnould, E.J. (2009). How Brand Community Practices Create Value. Journal of Marketing 73(Sept), 30-51.