By: Susan Fournier & Lara Lee
This insightful article was about brand communities, which is something I’ve never really heard of. I’ve studied branding in marketing classes and such, but I don’t remember learning about brand communities. The authors define a brand communities as a, ‘a group of ardent consumers organized around the lifestyle, activities, and ethos of thebrand.’ A good example, and the one that the authors use, is Harley-Davidson. In the early 1980′s, Harley-Davidson was struggling. But after a big turn-around, the company is flourishing. They used the idea of brand communities to build the community within their followers and made Harley-Davidson a culture of it’s own.
The two authors center this article around 7 myths about brand communities and then shine the light on the reality. Most of these myths are well-known and even taught in high-level marketing classes. I learned a lot from this article, starting with what a brand community is. The authors are right to say that it’s not just a marketing tool, but instead a business tool that should be developed for the sake of any company.