37. Chapter Reflections

A powerful tool for marketers is forming and leveraging brand community. A dedicated, loyal, and passionate consumer base will rally behind their favourite brand and spread their joy and enthusiasm far and wide. (That pays more than any Super Bowl ad or guerilla marketing campaign ever will). Explore Harvard Business Review’s article titled “Get Brand Communities Right.” Discuss how marketers should think about leveraging a brand community as a business strategy and not just for marketing.

You don’t need to look much further than the 2016 US Presidential Election to find a perfect example of an anti-brand community. The “Boycott Trump” group provides details on the brands (Democratic/Liberal) consumers should avoid due to their support or allegiance to Trump. See the Ad Week article titled “This Democratic Super PAC’s App Identifies Which Brands Anti-Trump Shoppers Should Boycott.” and discuss the features of this anti-brand community and any other similar anti-brand communities you are familiar with.

What can we learn about Aritzia’s marketing campaign around the release of the Super Puff? Explore Geraldine Sebastian’s article, “Super Pumped for the Super Puff: The Rise of Aritzia via Social Media” and discuss a range of consumer behaviour concepts covered in this textbook so far:
- The role of celebrity influencers and specifically Kendall Jenner’s paid partnership with Aritzia.
- How the balance theory of attitudes influences (young/teenage) consumers through celebrity endorsements.
- Aritzia’s product line extension strategy and the launch of Mr. Super Puff.
- The role Aritzia plays in fueling fast fashion and how the brand can avoid criticism in contributing to consumer capitalism.