Building the Force: Enacting Fan Brand Community Through the Star Wars BB-8 Droid Builders Club

Building the Force: Enacting Fan Brand Community Through the Star Wars BB-8 Droid Builders Club

William F. Humphrey Jr., Debra A. Laverie, Alison B. Shields
Copyright: © 2020 |Pages: 21
ISBN13: 9781522592822|ISBN10: 1522592822|EISBN13: 9781522592839
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-5225-9282-2.ch044
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MLA

Humphrey Jr., William F., et al. "Building the Force: Enacting Fan Brand Community Through the Star Wars BB-8 Droid Builders Club." Global Branding: Breakthroughs in Research and Practice, edited by Information Resources Management Association, IGI Global, 2020, pp. 922-942. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-9282-2.ch044

APA

Humphrey Jr., W. F., Laverie, D. A., & Shields, A. B. (2020). Building the Force: Enacting Fan Brand Community Through the Star Wars BB-8 Droid Builders Club. In I. Management Association (Ed.), Global Branding: Breakthroughs in Research and Practice (pp. 922-942). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-9282-2.ch044

Chicago

Humphrey Jr., William F., Debra A. Laverie, and Alison B. Shields. "Building the Force: Enacting Fan Brand Community Through the Star Wars BB-8 Droid Builders Club." In Global Branding: Breakthroughs in Research and Practice, edited by Information Resources Management Association, 922-942. Hershey, PA: IGI Global, 2020. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-9282-2.ch044

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Abstract

This chapter examines the Star Wars fan community who creates screen accurate BB-8 replicas is explored in depth. Builders undertake the creation of characters through emergent technology such as 3-D printing. The members work together to create these replica characters and immerse completely in the process of the character's formation. We studied online fan community forums and social media groups where participants engage with and support one another as they build full-sized Star Wars characters. Second, this chapter applies the BB-8 builder community to an established framework for brand community, which is extended to include the passionate and committed communities formed by fans around entertainment franchises. Brand (or franchise) characteristics are related to community characteristics, which are then in turn related to fan brand community. Finally, conclusions for the academy and practitioners are discussed based on the examination of this community in relation to the theoretical framework.

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