Presentation given at the 3rd International Consumer Brand Relationships Conference, www.consumer-brand-relationships.org Copyright by Sharon Schembri, University of Texas-Pan American, USA Lorien Latimer, Griffith University, Australia

1. Generating brand culture in
online brand communities
Dr. Sharon Schembri
The University of Texas – Pan American, USA
s.schembrist@utpa.edu
Lorien Latimer
Griffith University, Queensland Australia

2. Collective e-brand cultures…?
● Consumers are increasingly performing the
role of producers
● Social media
● Online brand communities → e-tribes!
● What does that mean for brand culture?
How do consumers collectively generate
online brand culture?
Schembri and Latimer (2013)

3. Postmodern consumers
● Postmodernism:
● Fragmentation
● Loss of commitment
● Decentering of subject/object
● Reversal of consumption and production
(Firat and Venkatesh, 1995; Firat, Dholokia, and Venkatesh, 1995)
● Postmodern consumers
● Multiple selves
● Collage of fragmented representations of selves and preferences
● Consumption is the vehicle that enables consumer to
be producers of self
Schembri and Latimer (2013)

4. Symbols for sale (Levy 1959)
● Consumption is the vehicle that enables
consumer to be producers of self…
…and symbolic meaning!
● Goods as an extension of self (Belk 1988)
● Consumption objects are polysemic symbolic
resources (Holt 1995)
● Consumers form relationships with brands
and brands are active relationship partners
(Fournier 1998)
Schembri and Latimer (2013)

5. Brand relationships
● Brands serve as viable relationship partners
(Fournier 1998)
● Dimensions of brand love
(Albert, Merunka, and Valette-Florence 2008; Carroll and Ahuvia 2006)
● Consumers share symbolic stories
(Muniz and Shau 2006 )
● Storytelling links to social cohesion
(Woodside, Sood, and Miller 2008)
Schembri and Latimer (2013)

6. Brand community and tribalism
● Brand community
Muniz and O’Guinn (2001)
McAlexander, Schouten, and Koening (2002)
Cova, Pace, and Park (2007)
Wippenfurth (2005)
Schembri (2009)
● Brand cult (Belk and Tumbat 2005)
● e-tribes (Kozinets 1999)
How do consumers collectively generate
online brand culture?
Schembri and Latimer (2013)

7. Methodological assumptions
● Consumption is a social and cultural
phenomenon (Arnould and Thompson 2005)
● Research focus is consumer experience
(Thompson, Locander, and Polio 1989)
● Interpretivist approach → netnography
(Kozinets 1998, 2002, 2006)
Research context : www.behance.net
Schembri and Latimer (2013)

8. Entering the virtual space
www.behance.net
● An online community
for creative industry
professionals to
interact and share
their creative work
with fellow
professionals,
potential employers,
top creative
companies, and
editors Schembri and Latimer (2013)

9. Netnographic method
● Kozinets (2002)
1. Cultural entrée
● 3 weeks of covert observation
● Enables identification of voice, style, structure
2. Clearance as overt researcher
● Participant observation began
3. Analysis and interpretation
● Sorting and resorting of text
4. Member checks
● Hermeneutic nod
Schembri and Latimer (2013)

10. Emergent themes
● Construction of self
● Emotional relationships
o Member-brand relationships
o Member-member relationships
● Storytelling
● Rituals
Schembri and Latimer (2013)

11. Construction of self
“I'm a freelance illustrator and designer from
Malaysia where I was born and raised with
love (for almost 26years). My artworks are
mostly inspired by nature and each of them
are like my journal: they carry some of my
emotions from time to time and have their
own stories to tell :D”
[Malaysian picture book illustrator]
Schembri and Latimer (2013)

12. Emotional relationships
Member-brand relationships
“I am privileged to be in
Behance. The level of
quality and talent is the best
in the world, there is simply
no better network for
professionals. I view my
own work differently and
aim higher as a result of
being in the network. It's
simply amazing!”
[New York cinematographer]
Member-member relationships
“[Artist’s name] your stuff
is amazing... I’ve been
studying your work for
years. Enjoy it to the
fullest.”
[Californian web designer]
Schembri and Latimer (2013)

13. Storytelling
Schembri and Latimer (2013)
“Big pat on the back...I thought for a minute
'yawn' yet more artistic photography...How
wrong...yet so B******** cool...loving the use
of foodstuffs etc etc!!!!!..Great work!”
[Japanese graphic artist]

14. Ritualistic practices
● Liking and commenting
● Scoring
stars, plus signs, numbers, emoticons
“Respect! Your score: 1000000 points”
“Niceeeee... ++++”
● Daily visits
“[Behance is]…a place we like to wander around
whenever we have a spare second.”
(Romanian web designer)
Schembri and Latimer (2013)

15. Contribution to theory
How do consumers collectively generate
online brand culture?
1. Construction of self
● Belk (1988); Schau and Gilly (2003)
2. Emotional relationships
● Fournier (1998)
● Cova (1997)
3. Storytelling
● Woodside et al. (2008)
4. Ritualistic practices
● Cova (1997); Cova et al. (2007); Cova and Dalli (2009)Schembri and Latimer (2013)

16. Practical implications
● consumers construct brand culture through
member-brand interaction …
…and co-construct brand culture through
member-member interaction
● Understanding experiential generation of
brand culture is an avenue to authentically
strengthen brand experience
Schembri and Latimer (2013)