This paper explains how companies can manage their brand communities effectively. The findings reported in this paper are based on a four-year long project involving the study of company managed and enthusiast-run communities. During that time, 200 brand community managers of company-managed and...

THE LEADING QUESTION: • How can companies manage their brand communities effectively? FINDINGS: • Setting up and managing a brand community of customers is a potentially powerful marketing program for companies in the current harsh economic climate. • Many company-run brand communities...

We investigate the antecedents and consequences of consumers' relationships with the brand and the brand community, and the interplay between them. Both positive (through the construct of community engagement) and negative (through normative community pressure and reactance) aspects of brand...