Brand Communities

A brand community is a special community of admirers of a particular brand of services or goods. The members of these communities are not bounded by their geographical locations but by a shared consciousness, rituals, traditions, and moral responsibilities toward their brand of choice. The term brand community was coined by Alfred Muniz Jr. and Thomas C. O’Guinn in 1995. Since then, it has been extensively used in the business community. There are many brands that have strong brand communities. For example, Facebook, Google+, and so on in social networking; Apple, Canon, Blackberry, and so on in computer and electronics products; Jeep, Mini Cooper, Saab, Harley-Davidson, and so on in auto industries; and Barbie Dolls, Lego, and so on in toys. Some of the world’s ...