A brand community can be defined as “a group of people interacting together based on their love of a brand.” Key characteristics of a brand community: Consciousness of kind, shared rituals and traditions, and moral responsibility.
While working on a project for our client GVTC, I came across a great example of how to build an on-line brand community from Liberty Mutual. This company truly understands how to integrate their advertising campaign, which follows the lives of a “typical” American family, with on-line tools – all rooted in the brand’s core value of responsibility.
We know that the most successful brands are those that consumers share a moral and philosophical bond with. This defining principle is at the heart of the Liberty Mutual on-line community, where individuals can join the conversation about the decisions portrayed in the advertisements as well as share their views on personal responsibility. The Responsibility Project’s online community was launched in the beginning of 2008, and to date there have been more than 2 million unique visitors to the site.
This is a perfect example of consumers connecting with a brand that provides them with tangible benefits AND a means of exhibiting who they are, what they believe in and what social stratum they most closely associate themselves with. According to Hill Holliday CEO Mike Sheehan, “Creatively, this work is intended to provoke thought and action around issues related to responsibility.”
The interactive Web site will continue to connect individuals who are interested in sharing their perspectives on personal responsibility by featuring:
- Extended versions of the new advertisements
- New independent film shorts about the decisions people face trying to “do the right thing”
- Discussion guides to accompany each short film for parents, students, teachers or any fan of the films
- Interviews with individuals associated with the films
- Articles and blog postings from the site’s editor
Stay tuned as we continuously find ways for our client’s customers to interact with their brands.
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This is really cool…thanks for sharing Chuck!