Having seen how companies can motivate their brand community members to remain loyal, it imperative to look into the significance of brand communities to consumer and marketers. Brand community has proved to be an essential tool in keeping afloat in the ever competitive market. Brand communities will therefore be significant in the following:
Fostering brand loyalty.
The brand communities act as a precursor to loyalty to a particular brand. Muniz and O'Guinn (2001), write "members feel an important connection to the brand, but more importantly, they feel a stronger connection to one another." Hence the brand loyalty will be fostered by the shared consciousness. This fact helps marketers in ensuring their company sales remain on top of the market always.
Recruiting new members
Once consumers become members of brand communities, they feel the moral responsibility to that particular community. Muniz and O'Guinn (2001), find that there is "a sense of duty to the community as a whole, and to individual members of the community." Which will include sharing information with outsiders and possibly recruiting new members to the community? A BMW owner will always urge others to join the BMW class citing all the pros that he or she has. This will in effect help marketers recruit more clients and possible brand loyalists increasing their sales in effect.
Brand enhancement
On brand communities members rituals and traditions Muniz and O'Guinn (2001), say they "represent vital social processes by which the meaning of the community is reproduced and transmitted within and beyond the community. These typically...
Every proud Mercedes-Benz owner will want someone else to know about it and will want to speak to as many people as possible about it. This acts as a free advertisement to companies. This can only be achieved through brand communities.
Conclusion
In conclusion, companies have noticed the centrality of brand communities and have therefore continuously ensured they motivate the consumers to participate in the brand communities by creating brand myths, sense of partnership among consumers, identifiable brand elements and creation of unique cultures to consumers. These conditions that companies have presented to consumers have in turn worked to foster loyalty, aid recruit new members and enhance brands for the marketers and companies in general.
References.
Antikainen, M. (2007). The Attraction of Company Online Communities. A multiple case study.
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Kalman, D.M. (2005), Brand Communities, Marketing and Media.
Muniz, a.M. Jr. And Thomas, C.O. (1995), Brand Community and the Sociology of Brands in Kim P. Corfman and John G. Lynch (eds), Advances in Consumer Research, 1996, Volume 23, Provo, UT: Association for Consumer Research, pages 265-266.
Muniz, a.M. Jr., & Thomas C.O. (2001). Brand Community, Journal of Consumer Research,
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Ries, a., & Ries, L. (2002). The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding. London: Collins.
