The Case of a German Football Community

Ver en: www.fiwi.uni-bayreuth.de/de/download/WP_07-10.pdf

Branded Communities as an Alternative Branding Concept to Brand Communities:

The Case of a German Football Community

Herbert Woratschek / Bastian Popp

Abstract:

In this study we introduce branded communities as an alternative concept to brand communities. An online survey of 501 members of a branded community interested in football and operated by the biggest German telephone company was carried out. The results show the importance of the respondents’ involvement and identification with a specific interest and the value of co-creation and customer integration for their community loyalty. The brand owner that operates the community benefits from the members’ higher loyalty towards his brand. Hence, branded communities are a promising concept for brands without the potential to facilitate enduring customer interaction itself.

Keywords: 

branded communities, brand communities, co-creation, web 2.0, customer loyalty, branding