Communication strategies for building

brand communities

CBS, September 27. 2004

040927_commstrat_brandcommfor_unities_martin_gjerløff
Purpose of the next 45 minutes

To present: Intended take away:

• Key drivers and best • A strategic framework
practice - cases for for creating a vital
brand communities brand community
 A strategic framework for creating a strong community

Fight

Progression Role models

Brand

Manifestations Exchange

Sources of inspiration:
Own creation based on experience and inspiration from antropology,
Red Spider Movement model and frameworks from other specialized
brand consultanties
First and foremost: The core strategy must be in place!

Where
Where dodo we
we What
What should
should This
This is
is how
how
want
want to
to go?
go? we
we say
say to
to we
we make
make itit
whom
whom come
come alive!
alive!

Positioning Content Form

- Vision - Objectives - Personality
- Mission - Target group - Apertures
- Values - Motivating reward - Media channels
 Fight

Progression Role models

Manifestations Exchange
Fight

• Go up against an ’outside’ belief

• Create the concept of an enemy

• Be exclusive – either you’re in or out

Example: Napster – a community brands can learn a lot from

• One of the strongest Internet

communities ever

• More than a music delivery channel…

not just clever software

• Was notorious for its fight: Music lovers

against the fat record company cats
Example: Bud Light – unite guys in the fight to get out

• One of the strongest Internet

communities ever

• Fictional, yet based on a universal

truth: men struggle to spend more time
hanging out with friends and have a
beer.

• The Bud Light Institute is dedicated to

providing solutions in this fight

1 spot
Case: SEGA – construct a fight to create a sense of
community

• United a critical target group in an

overcommunicated market

• Focus was more than just the game –

it was an invitation to join a fight

• Innovative multichannel strategy

1 spot
 Fight

Progression Role models

Manifestations Exchange
Rolemodels

• Role models as catalysts and backbone

• Pioneers, martyrs, heroes, evangelists

• Embody ideology, inspire and control

Case: SEGA – exploit the myth that salvation issues
often are discovered by individuals or small groups

…Revolutions
don’t come
from groups,
but from
individuals
Empowering individuals is a serious community matter

”Only the enlightened sovereign

and worthy general who is able to
use the most intelligent people as
agents is certain to achieve great
things”

Sun Tzu
Ancient chinese war strategist
So reward those working for the community
 Fight

Progression Role models

Manifestations Exchange
Exchange

• Reciprocity is what builds

relationships

• Influence is a key motive for

engagement

• Generosity is stronger than greed

Example: TheSamba.com forum for VW fanatics
Example: Lego – users love to contribute to the community
Example: Build-a-bear

THE BEAR PROMISE

My Bear is special
I Brought it To Life
I Chose it,
I stuffed it
Now I Am Taking it Home.
Best Friends Are Forever
So I Promise Right Now
To Make My Bear My # 1 Pal!
Example: Audi
 Shared fight

Progression Role models

Manifestations Exchange
Manifestations

• Create ’talk value’ and be

propagandistic

• Make spectacular use of media

• Rituals, traditions, symbols,

emblems marches, gatherings,
gospels, icons etc.
A win-win situation - both brands and communities need fame

For instance, of the million of people who know about

Britney Spears, only a fraction will ever buy one of her
records or a ticket to one of her concerts. Yet her
brand value is incalcuable when all of the other people
who know who she is and have opinions about her are
considered. It transforms the relationship that her fans
have with her into more than just a preference. It
becomes a statement of who they are.”

James Bullmore

James Bullmore is the Australian Idol TV-

programs answer to Denmarks Thomas
Blackman
Be spectacular

”If you stand for

something, you will
always find some people
for you and some people
against you. If you stand
for nothing, you will find
nobody against you, and
nobody for you.”

Bill Bernbach
Example: BC Milk Foundation – give them something
new to think and talk about

Some characteristics of BCs: Characteristics for milk brands:

• Consciusness of a community ”Us” • It’s all of us and none of us…

• ’Restricted’ membership defined by • Everybody has or had it…

ownership

• Founded on admiration of a given • Nobody really values milk

product type/brand unless they run out of it

• High involvement and willingness to • Nobody thinks that much

share of experiences about it and nothing is new…

Source: Roy Langer

Example: BC Milk Foundation – give them something
new to think and talk about

• Challenge: Low interest and low

’talk value’

• Objective: “Breakthrough the

Clutter, get noticed and talked
about”.

• Solution: Create a new way to talk

about milk and interact with the
brands

1 Spot
Example: Bud Light – providing communication ”tools”

• Communicates both in- and out side it’s

target group

• Extensive "man enabling" programs and

products with high talk value

• Empathy Mask, Excuse Generator,

Conver-sational Land Mine Detector;
Events etc.

2 spots
Example: Bud Light – artefacts, incidents and events
Example: Build-a-bear – provides rituals, ”a language”
and facilitates gatherings

Bearisms™

BEAR IN MIND: ALWAYS BE

KIND · BE THE BEARER OF
GOOD NEWS · TAKE TIME
TO TASTE THE HONEY ·
REMEMBER YOUR VERY
FIRST TEDDY · BEAR YOR
HEART · ASK NOT WHAT
YOUR BEAR CAN DO FOR
YOU, BUT WHAT YOU CAN
DO FOR YOUR BEAR etc. etc.
A warning: Help the community preach the brand to the outside
world – but don’t let them drive it out of mainstream
 Shared fight

Progression Role models

Manifestations Exchange
Progression

• Be forward looking, constantly striving

• Victories and setbacks as spur to next

attack

• Never rest on the laurels - review the

enemy
Example: The Sims

• Did realize that if there is little

progression, there is little motivation

• Mirrors "Lifecycle”-elements as we know them

• Features six stages from baby to toddler,

child, teenager, adult and finally "geezer"
 Wrap up

Fight -What do we fight for? And against?

(How can we exploit target groups
grumbles, frustrations, wishes etc.)

Progression Role models

- Who can we use / recruit to act as
- How can we provide a
sense of momentum? And Brand rolemodels and catalysts: Figureheads,
representatives; personalities who
how do we fuel the sense of embodies the brand etc. How can we
dissatisfaction, that drives reward them and make them heroes?
the members willingness to
unite and ’fight’?

Manifestations Exchange
- How and where will we talk to members - What can we give and what can we help the
and non-believers? What is our ’language’; BC members give back? How can we let them
manifestations, rituals symbols etc. interact, have a voice and be heard?

Sources of inspiration:
Own creation based on experience and inspiration from antropology,
Red Spider Movement model and frameworks from other specialized
brand consultanties
…So does this apply to any company? Can all brands create a
community?

”A company’s strategy has to be

grounded in how their particular
customers see and experience
things (…) People will recognize
shallow, hollow and self-serving
methods and, in that environment,
communities won’t last long.
Efforts need to be sincere and
based on their specific customers’
need and wants.”
• Be aware of the actual
strenght in the points of
connection between the
brand and the customers!
• Ask: Can we provide or
create anything with talk
value and thus real
potential for synergy?

Jim McAlexander
Associate professor of Mkt.,
Oregon State University
Planning hierarchy Overall business
& branding
• Which attractive and ambitious – yet strategy
Brand platform realistic – position do we wish to obtain?

• What do we contribute with that justifies our

Mission existence?

• What should always characterise our

Values behaviour? BC strategy

• What objectives do we want to meet? Why

Objectives do we want to create a community? (recruit
new users, loyalty, credibility etc.)

• Who could and should we adress in order to

Target group meet our objectives? And what reward
Feed back

should we promise to motivate them?

• What should characterize and drive our
community – what’s “the story?”

• How do we communicate, where and when?

Tactics & execution (specific media etc)

• How do we measure and learn from the results

Measurement of our efforts? What milestones have we met?
?
Thank you for your
attention!