Brand Community Analysis

marque Community Analysis As the development of confabulation technology and global market, the concept of Brand Community was fist delimitate as a circumscribedized, non-geographically bound partnership, based on a integrated set of hearty relationships among admirers of a mug by two social scientists, Albert M. Muniz, JR and Thomas C. OGuinn (2001). This essay forget firstly give a brief overview of brand union, and then point out three chief(prenominal) characteristics and further discuss these features of brand fraternity based on the bind by Muniz and OGuinn (2001) using the supporters of Manchester United Football Club as an example.Brand federation is a customer-customer-brand triad. It reflects on a collection of brand-centric social convocation stressing the use of brand and the relationship formed by emotion amongst consumers (Muniz and OGuinn, 2001). Further much, McAlexander, Schouten and Koenig (2002) have extended this model to the extent that brand frie ndship is actually a customer-centric network and aim to provide customer special brand-related consumption live on. They have as well emphasized the concept of brand experience in a biotic connection.Any brand experience comes from the interactiveness among members, and at the uniform time customers also construct the meaning of the brand in the dish out of interaction and experience. Subsequently, by the research in the abandoned Apple Newton, Muniz and Schau (2005) run aground brand community gouge be regarded to a kind of ghost like affiliation. Manchester United Football Club (MUFC) is a famous professional football game team founded in 1878 in England. It is the best supported in europium (Rice, 2009) and probably the around popular football club in the world.According to the name by Cass (2007) from Daily Mail, the number of worldwide MUFC supporters was closed to 333 gazillion in 2007. In this case, I assume the fans of MUFC all are the members of the club com munity and they principally consume match tickets and club-related products. Muniz and OGuinn (2001) raised 3 staple characteristics for brand community, like other traditional communities, which respectively were a overlap spirit, rituals and traditions and a intelligence of moral responsibility. The most important dual-lane consciousness is group awareness.It means there is an implicit relationship between community members and members can be straightforward from others. Rituals and traditions is a vital social process. Brand and the meaning of brand community with their history, culture and consciousness can be duplicated and passed on through ritual and traditions. Moral responsibility indicates that community members are responsible for each other. These 3 characteristics show the nature of brand community. For the sense of consciousness, members feel a great relation toward one another is more important than the connection to the brand (Muniz and OGuinn, 2001).That is why two main(prenominal) organisations for MUFC supporters in the UK, Independent Manchester United Supporters Association (IMUSA) and Manchester United Supporters Trust (MUST), were realized to let like-minded people join together and formed local communities. IMUSA has even set up a committee to better act as the interest and voice of supports. Supporters from all around the world can also just easily use web-based communication tools such as Twitter, Facebook, and forums like MUFC fansforum (http//community. manutd. com/forums/) to share updated news and maintain connections.On the other hand, members, also set them away from others and makes them similar to one another Muniz and OGuinn (2001) claimed, especially try to distinct them from the main competitive brand in the market. This regards to oppositional brand loyalty. In this MUFC case, the oppositional brand is its main rivalry in the Premier league located in the same city Manchester City Football Club (MCFC). Fans from MUFC always assure them against MCFC supporters. Members accustomedly said MCFC is built by money, just an upstart and a noisy neighbour.Most of the community members despise this kind of team because they think MUFC has the glories that MCFC deficiency of and embodies the passion and excitement of the worlds most popular sport (Hill and Vincent, 2006). Muniz and OGuinn (2001) indicated rituals and traditions way on sharing consumption experience with the brand. Supporters sing several specialised songs during the match regarding to different circumstances to encourage and cheer the team. Those songs have already become a kind of spiritual symbol of the MUFC brand, and therefore will be passed on each time they are sung in matches.Celebrating the history of the brand is crucial for maintaining community and reproducing culture (Muniz and OGuinn, 2001). For the MUFC community, the most vital history is the trophies they gained. After MUFC won their 19th English top league titl e last season, the Barclays Premiership Trophy Cup was being show around the world for the whole summer in 2011. This tour is not only presenting the precious trophy cup to supporters but also a promotion of the great history of MUFC to further raise reputation and rive new members.Sharing brand stories is another important means of maintaining and creating community (Muniz and OGuinn, 2001). MUFC fans always mention either face to face or on internet about the classic victory of the champion league last in 1999 in Munich. This can be related to viral selling by which positive image and consciousness of the brand and community can be delivered through word of mouth or improved by the internet network effects. The sense of moral responsibility is what produces collective action and contributes to group cohesion Muniz and OGuinn (2001) said.There are two traditional shared missions intergrading and retaining members and assisting members in the proper use of the brand. Firstly, it is crucial to retain existing members and capture new ones. The fundamental way for MUFC to save and fascinate supporters is to keep winning. acquire consistent good record and reputation will really overhaul the brand to attract and retain members. MUFC also gives discount to the existing authoritative members to renew their membership and buy season tickets in the following year. frankincense members can gain benefit from their loyalty.Secondly, moral responsibility also provides accomplice normally in problem solving and shares brand-related education. For instance, members share transport information in away games on fansforum. In conclusion, the notion of brand community has been extended in recent years and become a usual marketing phenomenon. The three key characteristics represent the essence of brand community and each of them has its own manifestation. Due to the improvement of communication way, members of brand community are more convenient to communicate and the b rand is also easier to image connection with customers and create brand communities.Looking to the future, I believe brand community will become a crucial and staple marketing strategy. summon Cass, Bob (2007). United moving down south as fanbase reaches 333 million. Daily Mail (London Associated Newspapers) 15 December 2007. Manchester United official fansforum http//community. manutd. com/forums/t/84281. aspx Manchester United Membership benefit http//www. manutd. com/en/One-United/Member-Benefits. aspx McAlexander, J H, Schouten , J W, and Koenig , H F. Building brand communityJ . Journal of Marketing Jan 2002 66, 1 ABI/INFORM world(a) p. 8 Muniz Albert M. Jr. and Thomas C. OGuinn (2001), Brand Community, Journal of Consumer look March 2001 27, 4 ABI/INFORM Global p. 412 Muniz Albert M. Jr. and Schau, H J. (2005), religiousism in the Abandoned Apple Newton Brand Community, Journal of Consumer interrogation Mar 2005 31, 4 ABI/INFORM Global p. 737 Rice, Simon (6 November 2009) . Manchester United top of the 25 best supported clubs in Europe. The Independent (London Independent Print). Vincent, stool, Hill, John S. (2006) Globalisation and sports branding the case of Manchester United.