Building On-line Brand Communities: Strategies and Implications

1. Building On-line Brand Communities: Strategies and Implications P. Raj DevasagayamAssistant Professor of Marketing and Management � Siena Collegeraj@siena.edu

2. Brand communities, elements, examples Virtual communities The case for change Weblog communities � inflection points Strategically building weblog-driven online communities Web community examples Agenda

3. Brand Communities Network of customer relationships Built on context and relevance of content Mutual Responsibility Traditionally connected through mass media Company owns brand Expressly commercial The purpose of this is really a quick level-set for the group on the baseline that we�ll be using for our discussion going forward. This slide is meant to prep the audience with the answers to the question: �What is a brand community anyway, and how might I know one when I see one?� While it�s understood that many of the audience members are academics and practitioners of high intellect, a level settingThe purpose of this is really a quick level-set for the group on the baseline that we�ll be using for our discussion going forward. This slide is meant to prep the audience with the answers to the question: �What is a brand community anyway, and how might I know one when I see one?� While it�s understood that many of the audience members are academics and practitioners of high intellect, a level setting

4. Elements of Brand Community Consciousness of kind Legitimacy Rituals and traditions Moral responsibility Celebrate brand history Share brand stories Assimilate new brand users Exchange Following the level set of what brand communities are, the next logical step is to lay out exactly what one finds in the average brand community. Moreover, these are critical elements in virtual communities and in weblog driven communities.Following the level set of what brand communities are, the next logical step is to lay out exactly what one finds in the average brand community. Moreover, these are critical elements in virtual communities and in weblog driven communities.

5. Exemplar Brand Communities Harley Davidson (41) Harley Owners Group Green Bay Packers Packer Experience Jeep Camp Jeep, Jeep Jamborees Oracle Oracle OpenWorld DeWalt Contractor�s Night 41 means 41st on the top 100 brands report from business week All of these communities rely on collective consumption activities which are distinctly geographically bound in nature. Other examples might include Saturn Homecomings, Siebel UserWeek Software conventions, Apple store events, and any other sort of �brandfest�. 41 means 41st on the top 100 brands report from business week All of these communities rely on collective consumption activities which are distinctly geographically bound in nature. Other examples might include Saturn Homecomings, Siebel UserWeek Software conventions, Apple store events, and any other sort of �brandfest�.

6. Virtual Communities Non-geographically bound �We-ness� � consciousness of kind Produce and consume information Multinodal networks Marketers infiltrated Academically focused architecture and meaning

7. Virtual Communities Messengers become the medium

8. The Case for Change 20-30% Annual internet usage growth Humanization phase of the internet Humanisation is what has happened to the internet since the late nineties, and you can see that it really started to gain momentum when Napster hit (Wave 3), mainly because of the huge publicity generated around copyright. Napster huminised by allowing almost anyone, almost anywhere to share files. When you look at my bias graph, you can visually see that it really was too early for the commercialisation, and that we need to humanize the internet well before we can start using it for business in ernest. That's what is happening today. Again, my graph may over simplify the situation, but it's the reality. We're starting to see sharing, networking, arguing, collaborating, and the search for greater freedom, all of which are features of human nature. In the early to mid nineties we saw features of corporate nature like selling and informing.Humanisation is what has happened to the internet since the late nineties, and you can see that it really started to gain momentum when Napster hit (Wave 3), mainly because of the huge publicity generated around copyright. Napster huminised by allowing almost anyone, almost anywhere to share files. When you look at my bias graph, you can visually see that it really was too early for the commercialisation, and that we need to humanize the internet well before we can start using it for business in ernest. That's what is happening today. Again, my graph may over simplify the situation, but it's the reality. We're starting to see sharing, networking, arguing, collaborating, and the search for greater freedom, all of which are features of human nature. In the early to mid nineties we saw features of corporate nature like selling and informing.

9. The Case for Change 20-30% Annual internet usage growth Consumer distaste for �mainstream� content Brand weblogs typically represent high-quality, cutting-edge, unique content

10. The Case for Change Pay attention where customers are paying attention Competition for eyeballs in existing virtual communities Sheer growth of weblog space

11. The Case for Change Sharply lowered entry barriers (blogs) Creating a blog takes minutes (literally!)

12. Building [Brand Blog] Communities Community building as a corporate strategy Cognitive dominance Part product, part customer coalition Create a community around yourself (company) Shared, common reality Stories, rhetoric, continuous attention Weblogs as a strategic brand communication tool

13. Blog Communities Personal voice Refreshing, unfiltered, authentic voice Low barrier to publishing True, One-to-One Communication Blogger-to-commenter or blogger-to-blogger Dynamic branding Currency, relevancy, ongoing and engaging Improve findability online The barriers to publishing are lowered in the areas of financial, technological, and psychological.The barriers to publishing are lowered in the areas of financial, technological, and psychological.

14. Blog Communities Unparalleled consumer agency Communal affiliation + passionate self-expression Brand co-creation Parity for �big national� and �intensely local�

15. Blog Communities Value in loyalty, which favors first movers Value in networks - weblogs build networks Comments Blogroll Trackbacks Links

16. Types of Brand Community Blogs Pre-launch blog (Worthwhile Magazine) Time-to-market �Beta Brand� Search loves blogs Thought leadership blog More�.

17. Exemplar Blog/Brand Communities Nike Blog The Art of Speed Red Hat Blog [http://blogs.redhat.com/] Road show and executive blogs Channel 9 - Microsoft [http://channel9.msdn.com/] Microsoft employees and developers talking, learning, and listening globally. General Motors Blogs [http://smallblock.gmblogs.com/] Community for small block enthusiasts Google Blog Insight into the news, technology, and culture of Google.

18. Building On-line Brand Communities: Strategies and Implications P. Raj DevasagayamAssistant Professor of Marketing and Management � Siena Collegeraj@siena.edu