Inspired by Harley's results and enabled by Web 2.0 technologies,
marketers in industries from packaged goods to industrial
equipment are busy trying to build communities around
their own brands. Their timing is right. In today's turbulent
world, people are hungry for a sense of connection; and in lean
economic times, every company needs new ways to do more
with what it already has. Unfortunately, although many firms aspire to the customer loyalty, marketing efficiency, and brand
authenticity that strong communities deliver, few understand
what it takes to achieve such benefits. Worse, most subscribe
to serious misconceptions about what brand communities are
and how they work.