Online Brand Communities: A Literature Review (original) (raw)
Related papers
Encyclopedia of Tourism Management and Marketing , 2022
The concept of Online Brand Communities is defined and explanied.
Leveraging Virtual Communities to Enhance Brand Equity
Advances in logistics, operations, and management science book series, 2018
This chapter explores how one company leveraged motorsports to build brand credibility, establish powerful marketing relationships, and connect with distinctly different consumer groups via virtual brand communities. Companies with strong virtual communities may benefit from the case study suggestions that are provided and discussed based on the theoretical perspective of brand equity. Marketing scholars and practitioners alike may find this case study of interest due to the growing desire by companies to develop strong bonds with consumers and their interest in effectively leveraging virtual brand communities as a tool. Several practice recommendations for leveraging virtual communities to enhance brand equity are discussed.
Managing brands and customer engagement in online brand communities
Journal of Service Management, 2013
Given the dramatic technology-lead changes that continue to take place in the marketplace, researchers and practitioners alike are keen to understand the emergence and implications of online brand communities (OBCs). This paper explores OBCs both from a consumer and company perspective.
Brand communities on the internet : A case study of Coca-Cola's Spanish virtual community
Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 2008
Purpose -The purpose of this study is to provide a better understanding of the virtual communities' phenomenon. Design/methodology/approach -This paper reports a case study. It explains one of the most successful online strategies developed by a global brand, Coca-Cola, in Spain. Findings -This study has shown that a web site can act as a marketing tool to develop a group of loyal consumers around the brand. The strength of the Spanish strategy relies on the creation of a virtual community, which provides functional, social, and experiential values. Originality/value -The paper analyses the evolution from off-line communities to virtual communities. A uses and gratification approach is used to explain consumer participation in virtual communities. The paper offers some useful guidelines for the creation and maintenance of a virtual community.
Virtual communities: A marketing perspective
Decision Support Systems, 2009
Increasingly, consumers interact through the Internet to share their knowledge, experiences, and opinions. Consequently, ‘word-of-mouse’ has become a significant market force that influences consumer decision-making. On the basis of extensive quantitative and qualitative research, the authors sketch how consumers make use of virtual communities as social and information networks, and how this affects their decision-making processes. We present three studies that address (i) determinants and effects of virtual community influence on the consumer decision process; (ii) virtual community participation patterns; and (iii) discussion practices of the most active community members. Key implications for managers, marketers, and market researchers are discussed.
Exploiting online environment to engage customers: social commerce brand community
Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 2020
Purpose Taking jointly into account social commerce and online brand community, this paper aims to investigate how the growth of social commerce and the fast adoption of online brand communities have given firms the opportunity to establish a new kind of community, namely, the social commerce brand community. Adopting a managerial perspective, the research aims to identify the core dimensions of social commerce brand community and shed light on how they contribute in engaging customers and transform them into brand advocates. Design/methodology/approach Five social commerce retailers operating into five different sectors of activity have been involved in a multiple case study. Data retrieved from semi-structured interviews have been triangulated with information gathered from different sources to provide depth to the cases and enhance data validity. Findings This study substantiates the rise of social commerce brand community as a new phenomenon that differs from traditional online ...
The current use of digital social networks has changed the way people interact, cluster and act (Algesheimer, Utpal and Andreas 2005; Xiang and Gretzel 2010). Online brand communities (OBCs) were chosen as the focus of this research, as research has demonstrated that members’ judgments can greatly influence brand preference and purchase decisions (Hoffman and Novak 1996; Kozinets et al 2010). In an OBC, consumers share interests, needs, experiences and knowledge which lead the creation of social ties that support purchase behaviours (Wellman and Frank 2001; Hansen, Lee and Lee 2014) and help develop long-term relationships between brands and consumers (Dholakia, Bagozzi and Pearo 2004; Brodie et al 2011).