What Is A Brand Community?

The word "community" has rich sociological and anthropological roots, and it is the foundation of what makes us human. If we trace social dynamics in every part of the world, in every part of history, we find humans gathering for safety, power, and connection. It is vital to us that we honor the past of this word and what it means in various cultures, while we acknowledge the undeniable similarities in how all humans connect. 

We do not appropriate the term "community" for profit. We are borrowing from what we have learned from these groups while adding richness to community members' lives, not just building community to say we built it. 

We do not create engagement for engagement's sake. We create meaningful impact in community members' lives, which leads to engagement. 

This is why we use the term "brand community" and not simply "community" at Gather. 

So what is brand community? We have done research of over 500 community professionals and studied the work of community scholars to land on this definition: 

A group of people who share an identity and a mutual concern for one another's welfare - who participate in shared experiences that are shaped by a brand.