COMPANY MANAGED VIRTUAL COMMUNITIES IN GLOBAL BRAND STRATEGY

Laurent Arnone, Olivier Colot, Mélanie Croquet, Angy Geerts and Laetitia Pozniak ()

Global Journal of Business Research, 2010, vol. 4, issue 2, 97-112

Abstract: Nowadays, many international businesses are experimenting with virtual communities of consumers in order to foster relationships between them and their customers. However, analysis of their strategies has rarely been considered in the existing literature. In this framework, our paper aims at providing a better understanding of the creation process and the management of these kinds of communities at an international level. To this aim, in the first part of the article, we propose a typology making it possible to distinguish between three types of international community strategies. After that, we follow a case study research design (DSA) and set the focus on the analysis of the creation process of two virtual communities coordinated by an international brand and implemented in the UK and in France. This allows us to highlight the strategic reflection, the tools and the roles of the people involved in the implementation of a community strategy. These elements are then considered under the lens of international marketing theories.

Keywords: virtual communities; international strategy; DSA; consumption communities (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: M31 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2010
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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