Let them talk Managing primary and extended online brand communities for success Case Solution And Analysis, HBR Case Study Solution & Analysis of Harvard Case Studies

Sure, the client-client contact through informal social networks and more formal company-sponsored platforms such as forums, becoming more essential to building brand communities. There are many advantages to this interaction, such as raising brand champions and "super-users", and reduce maintenance costs through a client-client solutions for products problem. However, there are dangers inherent in these largely unregulated communities, such as the potential damage to negative publicity, which may be based on fact or intent. Here we summarize the results of several years of research in the study of these communities in an attempt to understand why they do, what benefits can be derived from them, and, in particular, the negative information arising from these conditions can be strategically managed. Based on a number of quantitative and qualitative research, we have identified several key success factors of online brand community (ie, intervention, transformation, value creation, and harvesting), and various combinations of player community that must work together to achieve such success. Delving deeper into the issue of negative information management, we find that this issue is being discussed (ie, core compared to the augmented product) and the validity of the claim great influence appropriate policy responses of the firm. In this paper, we propose management recommendations regarding the most effective ways to develop a primary brand communities that encourage loyalty, purchases and positive word of mouth. "Hide
by Charles H Noble, Stephanie M Noble, Mavis T Adjei Source: Business Horizons 9 pages. Publication Date: September 15, 2012. Prod. #: BH491-PDF-ENG