So from this theoretical perspective, brand communities may very well exist. We argue that brand communities are in fact legitimate forms of community, but communities of a particular stripe, and of their time. These communities may form around any brand, but are probably most likely to form around brands with a strong image, a rich and lengthy history, and threatening competition. Also, things that are publicly consumed may stand a better chance of producing communities than those consumed in private. The communities that form around brands need not be marginal, or stand in opposition to mainstream culture. They need not be plagued by false or homeless consciousness. Such communities, due to the ubiquitous nature of brands, may transcend geography and may include a multitude of consumer members. These social groups may be fairly stable and committed to both the brand and the group. They would be explicitly commercial and possess a mass‐media sensibility. This very image of a large, geographically dispersed community, mass mediated and commercial in nature, significantly joins larger questions of social theory: that is, how will community be manifest in (post)modern times? Is community really dead, or could it actually flourish on the very ground on which consumer culture formed and fomented? What is the nature of this new community?