Brand Communities and Personal Identities - Essay Example

?Analyse a brand community of your choice Table of Contents Analyse a brand community of your choice Table of Contents 2 Introduction 3 Brand Community 3 Conclusions 5 References 7 Bibliography 7 Introduction In the age of increased market competition and turbulent business environment, it has become necessary to distinguish products and services from that of the competitors in the market. In this regard the aspect of branding comes into play as brands are essentially used by consumers to distinguish between products and services. In this regard brand community also plays a crucial role in the consumer behaviour of customers. In literature the term brand community as coined by Muniz & O’Guinn (2001) is defined as a specific, non geographical based collection of individuals who share a common belief and faith about a particular brand. Brand communities are termed as very complex and its members are often known to relate their personal identity with a brand community. Customer expectations and wants are largely characteristics of these brand communities (Wiegandt, 2009, p.15). The present study would try to analyse the aspect of brand communities and particularly the brand community of Apple. The choice of product assumes significance as it is one of the most renowned brands of the globe and has a high brand image and popularity. Brand Community Brand communities have several characteristic features with the most prominent being the aspect of awareness of a particular type. This includes the aspect of sharing a set of common faith and beliefs among the members of the group within the group i.e., homogenous within the group and heterogeneous outside the group (Ratneshwar & Mick, 2005, p.256).The discussions in brand communities normally involves discussion about the various aspects of only a particular brand. One of the online brand communities of Apple includes only aspects that are related to the brand. This includes advertisements and information about new products and company news. These do not contain any information about any brand other than Apple. The views and comments of the members are also essentially concentrated around the same aspect. This essentially is in tune with the aspect of homogeneity between the group members and heterogeneous with other groups. In this case the identity of the group members is masked by the identity of the brand and aspects relating to the brand assume greater importance (Schau & Muniz, 2002). Parsons & Maclaran (2009), state that one of the essential aspects and characteristic features of brand communities involve the instance of consumption based on collective traits. The example of the Apple brand and community is a very realistic example of this aspect. In the Apple community emphasis is only given on the common interests of the members of the brand which in this case is the love and interest about Apple’s products and services as well as other relevant information that is related to the brand as a whole (Parsons & Maclaran, 2009, p.94). The aspect of ethical marketing is also closely linked with the brand communities. The importance of ethics in marketing activities has been rigorously researched in various academic and professional circles. The main goal of marketing activities is to increase the market share and marketers are known to use various means to do so. The era of competition has also increased the use of unethical aspects. Brand communities are an easy target for marketers considering their affinity towards a brand. However, ethical aspects need to be included so that the loyalty is maintained with the members of the community (Carrigan, Marinova & Szmigin, 2005, p.481-486). Apple’s marketing strategy is largely based on focussing upon the product and innovation associated with the products. The company does not try to go into sentimental issues and largely focuses on the product while promoting it in the market. These aspects go well with the communities of the brand that helps generate advantage for the organization. Brand communities tend to create a culture in a co-operative manner. The role of ethics in this regard assumes vital significance as the marketing efforts are likely to create a culture based on shared beliefs. Marketers normally find it easy to target individuals who are a part of their brand community as they often have a good positioning of the products. The advent of online social networking as also accentuated the importance of brand communities and also the ethical considerations attached to the aspect. Apple in this regard scores well as it tries to create a culture based on delight and innovation among the prospective customers. It uses fair means to market its products that again generates a positive feeling among the members of the target market audience. Social networking and online communities have again stated to increase the reach of these communities making them an inevitable part of the marketing campaign of an organization (Morland & Bos, 2011, p.223). Arnold (2010) in his research on ethics in marketing has stated that brand communities are essentially an opportunity to marketers to target a mass audience. Apple in its marketing endeavours has always taken care to ensure and protect the needs of the society and environment at large. This can be found in the strategies of the company in which the company has envisages strategies to protect the environment thus ensuring considerable ethics in its marketing strategies (Arnold, 2010, p.125). Conclusions Brand communities have become an important customer segment for the organization as these provide an organization with an ability to target a mass audience. Moreover with the advent of online communities, the reach and importance of these communities has increased by leaps and bounds. Brand communities tend to promote customer loyalty that assumes considerable importance in the present era of increased market competition. However ethical aspects need to be maintained so that the faith and bonding with the company is maintained. Ensuring better relationships with br4and communities would help foster stronger positioning of the company. The brand communities can be used as ambassadors and promoting agents that can help generate considerable advantage for the organizations. Good brand communities are held in high privilege and hence they can very well be used as a good aspect for generating sustainable competitive advantage in the tough business environment. References Arnold, C. (2010). Ethical Marketing and the New Consumer. John Wiley & Sons. Carrigan, M., Marinova, S. & Szmigin, I. (2005). Ethics and International Marketing. [Pdf]. International Marketing Review; 2005; 22, 5; ABI/INFORM Global pg. 481. Morland, M.P. & Bos, R.T. (2011). Business Ethics and Continental Philosophy. Cambridge University Press. Parsons, E. and Maclaran, P. (2009) Contemporary Issues in Marketing and Consumer Research. London: Elsevier. Ratneshwar, S. & Mick, D.G. (2005). Inside consumption: consumer motives, goals, and desires. Routledge. Schau, H.J. & Muniz, A.M. (2002). Brand communities and personal identities: negotiations in cyberspace. [Online]. Available at: http://www.acrwebsite.org/volumes/display.asp?id=8673. [Accessed on October 27, 2011]. Wiegandt, P. (2009). Value Creation of Firm-Established Brand Communities. Gabler Verlag. Bibliography Culpan, R. (2002). Global business alliances: theory and practice. Greenwood Publishing Group. Davis, J.A. (2009). Competitive Success, How Branding Adds Value. John Wiley and Sons. Kapferer, J.N. (1997). Strategic brand management: creating and sustaining brand equity long term. Kogan Page Publishers. Read More

 

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