Brand Community Report

This assignment requires a report analyzing Tesla's Model S brand community. Students must explain why this community exists, referencing lecture notes, the Muniz and O'Guinn (2001) article, and Solomon et al.'s "Consumer Behaviour" textbook. Evidence of the community (images, screenshots, quotes) is required. The report should detail managerial implications for Tesla and other brands, exploring opportunities, challenges, and the influence of the community on consumer behavior (considering income, culture, and social class). Key concepts to be discussed include group and cultural level consumer behavior, reference groups, opinion leaders, word-of-mouth marketing, virtual communities, brand hijacking, and viral marketing. The report should also analyze cultural norms, the pecking order within the community, and the marketing implications of a strong brand community.

Brand Community Assignment
TASK: Write a report on the following topic:
Identify a brand that has a brand community. (Tesla Motors Model S brand Community)
Explain why this brand has a brand community by referring to the lecture notes, core
textbook, the key journal article by Muniz and O'Guinn (2001) and the text book (Consumer
Behaviour: A European Perspective by Michael Solomon et al)
Provide evidence of the brand community (for example, images, screenshots, quotes).
Managerial implications of the specific brand community for the specific brand are to be
detailed with reference to lecture notes, core textbook and the key journal article.
Explain the opportunities/benefits and challenges of managing a brand that has a brand
community by focusing on the specific brand you are discussing as an example.
Explain what managerial implications this example provides for other brand managers
(aside from the brand you specifically discuss) who may wish to build a brand community,
or who may wish to work with an existing brand community.
Provide screen shots of the brand community discussion (Tesla Motors brand community)
relevant to this assignment.
Also, provide screen shots of any relevant discussion in the brand community: Tesla motors
Content: Very Important:
 -Refer to the lecture slideset dedicated to
this topic; (Topic 5,6,7 extremely important
to be referred to and discussed in the
assignment
 Ref to : Muniz, A. M., Jr., & O’Guinn, T. C. (2001) Brand
Community. Journal of Consumer Research, 27, March, pp. 412-
31. (Extremely important to be referred to and discussed in the
assignment)
 Ref to: In your report you should certainly refer to
other module material from other slideset topics and from
your core textbook: (Consumer Behaviour: A European

Perspective, 5th edition by Michael Solomon et al) Extremely
important to refer to the book and give reference
Points needs to be discussed in the assignment:
 What is Group Level and Cultural Level Consumer Behaviour
 Explain why this brand has a brand community by referring to the lecture notes,
core textbook, the key journal article by Muniz and O'Guinn (2001) and the text
book (Consumer Behaviour: A European Perspective by Michael Solomon et
al)
 Provide evidence of the brand community (for example, images, screenshots,
quotes).
 Explain the opportunities/benefits and challenges of managing a brand that has
a brand community by focusing on the specific brand you are discussing as an
example.
 Explain what managerial implications this example provides for other brand
managers (aside from the brand you specifically discuss) who may wish to
build a brand community, or who may wish to work with an existing brand
community.
or who may wish to work with an existing brand community.
 Provide screen shots of the brand community discussion about tesla model s
 How brand community influences individual behavior with ref to
income, culture and social class
 How do we as consumers take guidance of reference groups, we look
at brand community
 Marketplace Community
 Culturalism: what culture is there in the brand community
 Norms: Standard way of doing things in the brand community. Cultural
norms in this group
 Theory of the Pecking order: Social mobility, how people earn respect
in the brand community
 Birds of a feather flock together: Why do people join this community
 Reference groups:
 Imaginary Individual: Why want to buy this car, Ficticious character
influences the behavior
 Opinion leaders influences
 Word of Mouth vs Adverts
 Virtual Group Influence

 Virtual Community of Consumption
 Hype vs Buzz
 Marketing Implications
 Viral Marketing
 Negative Word of Mouth
 Negative Word of Mouth
 Consequences
 Brand Hijack:
 Communities can hijack a brand if its very powerful
 Marketing Implication of Brand Community
 How do people promote the brand
 Two Potential
 Direct Selling to Brand Community
 Discuss and explain the following: