In a marketing landscape largely dominated by Online Media and with classic advertising budgets for TV and print advertisements decreasing, most brands try to build Online Brand Communities. But can the “virtual” world deliver what the real world does not seem to be able to provide; Unlimited access to a brand’s follower and consumer base?
In their 2009 Harvard Business Review article “Getting Brand Communities Right” Susan Fournier and Lara Lee clarified the 7 Myths of Brand Communities.
Myth # 1 A brand community is a marketing strategy
Reality A brand community is a business strategy
Myth # 2 A brand community exists to serve the business
Reality A brand community exists to serve the people in it
Myth # 3 Build the brand, and the community will follow
Reality Engineer the community, and the brand will be strong(er)
Myth # 4 Brand communities should be love-fests for faithful brand advocates
Reality Smart companies embrace the conflicts that make communities thrive
Myth # 5 Opinion leaders build strong communities
Reality Communities are strongest when everyone plays a role
Myth # 6 Online social networks are the key to a community strategy
Reality Online networks are just one tool, not a community strategy
Myth # 7 Successful brand communities are tightly managed and controlled
Reality Of and by the people, communities defy managerial control
Download the full HBR article here:
Enjoy the reading – it’s worthwhile!
Mark Schumacher, BSL Professor