Communal marketing
Encyclopedia
Communal marketing refers to a marketing
practice that incorporates public involvement in the development of an advertising/marketing campaign. A "communal advertising" campaign invites consumer
s to share their ideas or express their articulation of what the brand
means to them through their own personal stories, with the use of print
media, film
or audio
. The resulting "consumer generated content" is then incorporated into the campaign. Finally, the result of this collaboration is showcased, often in a cross-media campaign, to invite the extended community of like-minded individuals to share in the results, thereby creating a communal bond between the "brand champions as advertisers" and other individuals who have a natural affinity with what the brand has to offer. The end result provides the brand with a way to create a deeper connection with their core market, while also opening up new pathways to extend the relationship to new customers.
Communal marketing is not the same as viral marketing
or word of mouth
advertising, however, the end result of a communal marketing campaign achieves a high level of publicity within high relevance communities. These "communities" are extremely critical to the success of a brand, and normally follow the 80/20 rule
, where 20% of the brand's customers account for 80% of its sales.
In communal marketing, the very act of reaching out to consumers to invite them in as co-collaborators and co-creatives, is a fundamental component of the marketing campaign. The construct naturally lends itself to other "communal" marketing activities, like "communal branding" and "communal research." The trend has been incorporated into consumer-based, "virtual" advertising agencies, such as
Adcandy, which uses consumer-generated content
exclusively.
Anytime a brand reaches out to its audience to invite them in to become co-collaborators in the development of an advertising campaign, they are participating in a "communal branding" effort. Whenever marketing decisions are the end result of communing with the brand's audience to help drive the development of a campaign, they are engaging in "communal research." For example, Peter Jackson
, in the making of The Lord of the Rings
, reached out to loyal followers of the book to help weigh in on some major directorial decisions.
The practice of communal marketing has been in use for several years with the emergence of communal forms of information sharing including weblogs, online message boards, podcast
s, interactive broadband
TV, and other new media that has been adopted by consumers at the grass roots
level to establish community forums for discussing their customer experiences.
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
practice that incorporates public involvement in the development of an advertising/marketing campaign. A "communal advertising" campaign invites consumer
Consumer
Consumer is a broad label for any individuals or households that use goods generated within the economy. The concept of a consumer occurs in different contexts, so that the usage and significance of the term may vary.-Economics and marketing:...
s to share their ideas or express their articulation of what the brand
Brand
The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...
means to them through their own personal stories, with the use of print
Printing
Printing is a process for reproducing text and image, typically with ink on paper using a printing press. It is often carried out as a large-scale industrial process, and is an essential part of publishing and transaction printing....
media, film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
or audio
Sound
Sound is a mechanical wave that is an oscillation of pressure transmitted through a solid, liquid, or gas, composed of frequencies within the range of hearing and of a level sufficiently strong to be heard, or the sensation stimulated in organs of hearing by such vibrations.-Propagation of...
. The resulting "consumer generated content" is then incorporated into the campaign. Finally, the result of this collaboration is showcased, often in a cross-media campaign, to invite the extended community of like-minded individuals to share in the results, thereby creating a communal bond between the "brand champions as advertisers" and other individuals who have a natural affinity with what the brand has to offer. The end result provides the brand with a way to create a deeper connection with their core market, while also opening up new pathways to extend the relationship to new customers.
Communal marketing is not the same as viral marketing
Viral marketing
Viral marketing, viral advertising, or marketing buzz are buzzwords referring to marketing techniques that use pre-existing social networks to produce increases in brand awareness or to achieve other marketing objectives through self-replicating viral processes, analogous to the spread of viruses...
or word of mouth
Word of mouth
Word of mouth, or viva voce, is the passing of information from person to person by oral communication. Storytelling is the oldest form of word-of-mouth communication where one person tells others of something, whether a real event or something made up. Oral tradition is cultural material and...
advertising, however, the end result of a communal marketing campaign achieves a high level of publicity within high relevance communities. These "communities" are extremely critical to the success of a brand, and normally follow the 80/20 rule
Pareto principle
The Pareto principle states that, for many events, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.Business-management consultant Joseph M...
, where 20% of the brand's customers account for 80% of its sales.
In communal marketing, the very act of reaching out to consumers to invite them in as co-collaborators and co-creatives, is a fundamental component of the marketing campaign. The construct naturally lends itself to other "communal" marketing activities, like "communal branding" and "communal research." The trend has been incorporated into consumer-based, "virtual" advertising agencies, such as
Adcandy, which uses consumer-generated content
User-generated content
User generated content covers a range of media content available in a range of modern communications technologies. It entered mainstream usage during 2005 having arisen in web publishing and new media content production circles...
exclusively.
Anytime a brand reaches out to its audience to invite them in to become co-collaborators in the development of an advertising campaign, they are participating in a "communal branding" effort. Whenever marketing decisions are the end result of communing with the brand's audience to help drive the development of a campaign, they are engaging in "communal research." For example, Peter Jackson
Peter Jackson
Sir Peter Robert Jackson, KNZM is a New Zealand film director, producer, actor, and screenwriter, known for his The Lord of the Rings film trilogy , adapted from the novel by J. R. R...
, in the making of The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
The Lord of the Rings is an epic film trilogy consisting of three fantasy adventure films based on the three-volume book of the same name by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. The films are The Fellowship of the Ring , The Two Towers and The Return of the King .The films were directed by Peter...
, reached out to loyal followers of the book to help weigh in on some major directorial decisions.
The practice of communal marketing has been in use for several years with the emergence of communal forms of information sharing including weblogs, online message boards, podcast
Podcast
A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
s, interactive broadband
Broadband
The term broadband refers to a telecommunications signal or device of greater bandwidth, in some sense, than another standard or usual signal or device . Different criteria for "broad" have been applied in different contexts and at different times...
TV, and other new media that has been adopted by consumers at the grass roots
Grass Roots
Grass Roots is an Australian television series produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation between 2000 and 2003.The series is set around the fictional Arcadia Waters Council near Sydney, and was primarily a satirical look at the machinations of local government...
level to establish community forums for discussing their customer experiences.