Building Brand Communities: Using online tools to nurture your community

Sara Scurfield, AIMS volunteer and Online Program Manager at Advantex Marketing presented Lee Dale, founder of Smack Inc. with 2 questions for contemplation regarding his topic of discussion at the upcoming AIMS event on April 25th “Building Community”

The responses will be posted in two parts. This is part 1 of 2.

SS: What are the pitfalls of building online communities?

LD: Today's consumer is passionate about authenticity. Avid consumers are engaged with a brand because they feel the brand reflects a part of them. By remaining true to the brand, consumers can build a powerful and real connection with the brand and amongst themselves. In this regard, it is a primary tenet of community building that those most influential in the community be legitimate community members (evangelists) and not actors reading from a script. A well functioning Brand Community will recognize intruders and boot them out. As such, power should remain in the hands of the consumer and evangelists, with the corporation acting as a mediator.

The community, the blogosphere, and other media is ready to latch on to any community breakdown, either from a manipulated community or a hijacked community. We can cite two examples from Microsoft and Chevy, respectively. Microsoft was in the news having hired a freelance writer to write and publish testimonials, a real lack of authenticity that they were called on almost right away. This was a no win situation for Microsoft as they lost credibility within and outside their community. In the case of Chevy, the Tahoe brand was hijacked by environmentalists during a contest to build a Tahoe commercial. Using the stock footage made available, along with custom titles, environmentalists were able to paint a less than rosy picture about Chevy's commitment to the environment, and more. For Chevy, establishing a Brand Community would see their members come together to support the brand, as it was their belief system, as much as the corporation that was being attacked.