Corporate-sponsored brandfests are often used for recruitment of new members,
while the existing communities typically consist of diehard brand enthusiasts.
Brands like Napster and Linux add a new category to the approach. The
internet-based sharing of, respectively, MP3 files and an operating system for
computers that can be downloaded free of charge is in fact createdby a
community. They are both not only powerful brands but also masters of
completely changing the premises of their businesses. MySpace and YouTube are
also interesting cases to consider if one wants to gain insight into how the premises
of the community approach have in fact changed whole industries by fundamen-
tally changing how consumers interact. These community brands display the same
characteristics as the brand communities and brandfests but add another
dimension to the scope of the approach, since no marketer (in the traditional sense
of the word) exists. Still, it is the principles of the community approach that apply.
Brand communities and subcultures of consumption
As explained above, the formulation of a brand community theory is very much
influenced by subcultures of consumption. The two concepts, however, differ
significantly and should not be confused. ‘A subculture of consumption [is] a
distinctive subgroup of society that self-selects on the basis of a shared
commitment to a particular product class, brand, or consumption activity’
(Schouten and McAlexander 1995, p. 43).
Apart from this self-selection, different markers from the three markers charac-
terizing a brand community are used to characterize a subculture: The markers of
a subculture of consumption are:
- A hierarchical social structure.
- Ethos is manifested in shared beliefs and values.
- Unique jargons and rituals.
- Unique modes of symbolic expressions.
These characteristics are more far-reaching than the ‘consciousness of kind’,
‘rituals and traditions’ and ‘sense of moral responsibility’ that characterize a brand
community. In this regard it is important to notice that the membership of a
190 Seven brand approaches
Table 9.1Variations of brand community
Brandfests Brand communities Community brandsMarketer’s role An endorsing marketer An existing marketer The community is
the marketer
Consumers’ role Open to share brand Co-creators of Creators of brand
meaning brand meaning meaning
Examples Camp Jeep Car clubs Napster
Harley Davidson rallies Apple user pages Linux