Brand communities

Australian cosmetics brand Mecca recently held a three-day beauty festival in Sydney, drawing thousands of fans to experience all the retailer had to offer: a branded Ferris wheel, makeup masterclasses, rollerskating Mecca staff, glitter rainbows, Instagram-worthy spaces and so much more. Brand communities are seemingly self-explanatory; they are groups of consumers bound together by mutual admiration of a brand, regardless of geography. Though community members may not necessarily interact regularly, they are still socially connected through their mutual appreciation of a brand. Mecca’s beauty festival provided a place for fans to gather and connect with the brand and each other.

Why should brands build communities?

Academic research demonstrates the benefits of brand communities through a number of studies. For example, Millan and Diaz found that consumer interactions within a brand community lead to higher levels of consumer identification with the brand – the perceived similarity the consumer sees between themselves and the brand.1 This in turn leads to positive effects on brand loyalty, satisfaction, and word-of-mouth. Furthermore, brand communities (particularly online brand communities) act as support spaces where like-minded consumers can ask product-related questions or share tips about product usage.2

What other brands have successfully created communities?

LEGO has a very successful online brand community called LEGO Ideas where consumers can design and submit their own sets. Community members vote on their favourite sets, where sets that reach 10,000 votes have the potential to become actual LEGO products with the creator receiving 1% of royalties from sales. LEGO encourages community members to engage with each other through commenting, creating positive interactions between consumers and fostering a cohesive set of values and beliefs.

Another example of a successful brand community is Jeep’s work with its consumers over the past few decades. Jeep has hosted brand events consistently over the years such as Jamborees, Jeep 101, and Camp Jeep where consumers and staff members bond over shared love of the brand. In a study of Jeep’s brand community, McAlexander, Schouten, and Koenig illustrated the strengthening of consumer bonds with Jeep after attending a brand event.3

  1. Millan, A. and Diaz, E. (2014). Analysis of consumers’ response to brand community integration and brand identification. Journal of Brand Management, 21(3), 254-272.
  2. Meek, S., Ogilvie, M., Lambert, C., and Ryan, M. M. (2018). Contextualising social capital in online brand communities. Journal of Brand Management, 12/17/2018.
  3. McAlexander, J. H., Schouten, J. W., and Koenig, H. F. (2002). Building Brand Community. Journal of Marketing, 66(1), 38-54.