To challenge our emergent findings from event ethnography,
we broadened our scope to include informants who
did not choose to attend brandfests. We interviewed six
informant households in a western city (selected for diversity
in ownership of the basic Jeep platforms). This research
is also informed by ongoing ethnographic involvement with
Harley-Davidson owners beyond that reported previously.
Relationships with informants established eight years earlier
provide us longitudinal perspectives of these consumers’
experiences in brand communities. We also conducted depth
interviews with marketing managers and consumers of the
brands DeWalt (a marketer of power tools) and Mentor
Graphics (a producer of software used in high-technology
design). These interviews helped us determine whether the
findings are resonant across diverse industries and markets
rather than idiosyncratic to the industries we studied.