Actionable insights for the marketer’s toolkit
Communities shape our lives. Our interests. Our identities. Our actions. They are where we belong.
That made us curious. Why are some communities stronger than others? How does belonging happen? What role can brands play? And how might it all be measured?
We set out on a journey to define and create discipline around community marketing, and to understand who’s doing it best.
We wanted to understand how community can create a competitive advantage.
With an initial hypothesis that communities can be a lower cost driver for business growth than traditional marketing tactics, we began by defining community. We researched academic journals to arrive at a comprehensive definition, considering disciplines of sociology, anthropology, political science, and mathematical theories. From this research, we identified four pillars of a strong community and five types of communities to which we belong.
With the support of The Angus Reid Group, we conducted a first of its kind longitudinal global study of Gen Z communities. Together, we surveyed 8,000 Gen Z and millennials (aged 18 to 38) in Europe and North America to validate our hypothesis and gather valuable data about belonging to a community. Now in the third year of our community research, we uncover and publish valuable insights on communities and the belonging that fuels them in our annual Belong Report.
There is huge potential for brands to drive growth by unlocking the power of communities. Insights from our community research give brands the tools they need to foster the belonging that leads to brand advocacy.
Through our research, we have validated the four social pillars that create a strong sense of belonging to a community. We also identified five types of communities in which we organize ourselves and derive emotional benefits.
These are the characteristics that contribute to a person’s ability to derive a deep sense of belonging from a community. Brands can use these pillars as metrics to measure their degree of attachment and highlight areas for growth.
An individual’s emotional connection to a group. If your brand fosters a strong attachment to community, individual members will feel that your brand reflects their identity, leading to a relationship built on loyalty.
The collective value the community places on each member’s influence. If your brand makes community members feel seen and heard, the higher the community’s social capital will be, resulting in advocacy, virality and stronger word-of-mouth.
The extent to which the community can be recognized as a cohesive whole rather than composed of different members. If your brand creates a strong sense of unity, members will see your brand as aligned with the community.
The ability and degree to which members of a community will cooperate to take action. If your brand participates meaningfully in communities, community members will participate in brand initiatives, leading to brand advocacy, network effects and invaluable earned media.
An individual’s emotional connection to a group. If your brand fosters a strong attachment to community, individual members will feel that your brand reflects their identity, leading to a relationship built on loyalty.
The collective value the community places on each member’s influence. If your brand makes community members feel seen and heard, the higher the community’s social capital will be, resulting in advocacy, virality and stronger word-of-mouth.
The extent to which the community can be recognized as a cohesive whole rather than composed of different members. If your brand creates a strong sense of unity, members will see your brand as aligned with the community.
The ability and degree to which members of a community will cooperate to take action. If your brand participates meaningfully in communities, community members will participate in brand initiatives, leading to brand advocacy, network effects and invaluable earned media.
There are five types of communities in which people organize themselves. Our research on belonging identifies which of these categories holds the most potential for brands.
The higher that members score on each of these pillars, the stronger the overall community. And when people feel a strong connection to their community, they feel similarly towards a brand affiliated with that community. By using the four pillars to measure their impact, brands can identify how to strengthen the belonging that creates a strong community.
