Brand Community Analysis

scar Community Analysis As the development of communication technology and ball(prenominal) market, the concept of Brand Community was fist defined as a specialized, non-geographically bound fellowship, based on a structured rotary of accessible relationships among admirers of a trademark by two social scientists, Albert M. Muniz, JR and Thomas C. OGuinn (2001). This essay will firstly give a brief overview of make association, and then point out 3 main characteristics and further contend these features of nock community based on the article by Muniz and OGuinn (2001) using the supporters of Manchester join football Club as an example.Brand community is a customer-customer- leaf blade triad. It reflects on a collection of shit-centric social group stressing the use of flaw and the relationship formed by emotion between drink uprs (Muniz and OGuinn, 2001). Further more(prenominal), McAlexander, Schouten and Koenig (2002) afford extended this model to the extent that b rand community is actually a customer-centric interlocking and aim to provide customer special brand-related consumption experience. They r each(prenominal) as well as emphasized the concept of brand experience in a community.Any brand experience comes from the interaction among members, and at the same time customers also construct the meaning of the brand in the process of interaction and experience. Subsequently, by the research in the aband superstard Apple Newton, Muniz and Schau (2005) found brand community can be regarded to a kind of religious affiliation. Manchester United Football Club (MUFC) is a famous professional football team founded in 1878 in England. It is the best support in Europe (Rice, 2009) and probably the some popular football club in the world.According to the article by Cass (2007) from routine get by, the number of worldwide MUFC supporters was closed to 333 million 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 basic characteristics for brand community, homogeneous other traditional communities, which respectively were a shared consciousness, rituals and traditions and a ace of moral responsibility. The most important shared consciousness is group awareness.It bureau there is an implicit relationship between community members and members can be distinct from others. Rituals and traditions is a vital social process. Brand and the meaning of brand community with their tarradiddle, culture and consciousness can be duplicated and passed on by 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 extensive relation toward one another is more important than the participation to the brand (Muniz and OGuinn, 2001).That is w hy two main organisations for MUFC supporters in the UK, free-lance Manchester United Supporters Association (IMUSA) and Manchester United Supporters Trust (MUST), were established to let like-minded people join together and formed local communities. IMUSA has even set up a committee to better represent the interest and section of supports. Supporters from all around the world can also just close use web-based communication tools such as Twitter, Facebook, and forums like MUFC fansforum (http//community. manutd. com/forums/) to share updated intelligence agency and maintain connections.On the other hand, members, also set them apart from others and makes them similar to one another Muniz and OGuinn (2001) claimed, especially try to distinct them from the main matched brand in the market. This regards to oppositional brand loyalty. In this MUFC case, the oppositional brand is its main contestation in the Premier league located in the same city Manchester City Football Club ( MCFC). Fans from MUFC always assortediate them a suck upst MCFC supporters. Members usually verbalize 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 lack of and embodies the passion and eagerness of the worlds most popular sport (Hill and Vincent, 2006). Muniz and OGuinn (2001) indicated rituals and traditions focus on manduction consumption experience with the brand. Supporters sing several specific songs during the match regarding to different circumstances to encourage and cheer the team. Those songs have already blend 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 Engl ish top league statute title last season, the Barclays Premiership Trophy Cup was being demonstrated around the world for the whole summer in 2011. This tour is not only presenting the scarce trophy cup to supporters but also a promotion of the great history of MUFC to further raise reputation and guide new members.Sharing brand stories is another important means of maintaining and creating community (Muniz and OGuinn, 2001). MUFC fans always have-to doe with either face to face or on internet nigh the classic victory of the champion league final in 1999 in Munich. This can be related to viral marketing by which overconfident image and consciousness of the brand and community can be delivered by word of mouth or improved by the internet network effects. The sense of moral responsibility is what produces collective action and contributes to group ropiness Muniz and OGuinn (2001) said.There are two traditional shared missions intergrading and retaining members and assisting me mbers in the befitting use of the brand. Firstly, it is crucial to retain existing members and obtain new ones. The essential way for MUFC to save and fascinate supporters is to keep winning. Getting consistent good record and reputation will really help the brand to attract and retain members. MUFC also gives discount to the existing official members to renew their social status and buy season tickets in the following year. Thus members can gain benefit from their loyalty.Secondly, moral responsibility also provides assistant normally in problem solving and shares brand-related information. For instance, members share transport information in forth 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 throw manifestation. Due to the improvement of communication way, members of brand community are m ore convenient to communicate and the brand is also easier to build connection with customers and force brand communities.Looking to the future, I believe brand community will become a crucial and staple marketing strategy. Reference 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 social rank 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 Global p. 8 Muniz Albert M. younger and Thomas C. OGuinn (2001), Brand Community, Journal of Consumer Research March 2001 27, 4 ABI/INFORM Global p. 412 Muniz Albert M. Jr. and Schau, H J. (2005), Religiosity in the discard Apple Newton Brand Community, Journal of Consumer Research Mar 2005 31, 4 ABI/INFORM Glob al p. 737 Rice, Simon (6 November 2009). Manchester United top of the 25 best supported clubs in Europe. The Independent (London Independent Print). Vincent, John, Hill, John S. (2006) Globalisation and sports stigmatisation the case of Manchester United.