Brand community formation in service management: lessons from the sport industry.

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this article is to propose an overall framework for brand community formation that separates antecedents that lead to the formation of a brand community, from those outcomes that are associated with established communities. Design The authors approached this review through an interdisciplinary literature review that delineated psychological, structural, and behavioral processes that underline the formation of the brand community, often illustrated by contemporary cases in the sport industry. Findings Our findings outline eighteen different constructs, categorized in three overarching dimensions, separating structural, behavioral and psychological constructs. The authors posit these eighteen constructs are at the heart of brand community formation. These constructs provide managers with a guide to inform their efforts to form a new brand community. Originality It is emphasized that brand community formation is a complex process that is paradoxical in nature and requires organizations to balance a non-interventionist approach that would allow for consumer empowerment, with a pro-active approach that creates conditions for a successful brand community formation process.