Brand community formation in service management: lessons from the sport industry
ISSN: 1757-5818
Article publication date: 2 October 2023
Issue publication date: 11 January 2024
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/methodology/approach
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
The findings outline 18 different constructs, categorized in three overarching dimensions, separating structural, behavioral and psychological constructs. The authors posit these 18 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/value
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.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This paper forms part of a special section “The Sport x Service Experience: an opportunity for sport service management research”, guest edited by Dr. Thilo Kunkel and Dr. Daniel Funk.
Citation
Heere, B., Lock, D. and Cooper, D. (2024), "Brand community formation in service management: lessons from the sport industry", Journal of Service Management, Vol. 35 No. 1, pp. 71-88. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOSM-05-2022-0147
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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