Community

Jon Howard makes a good point about community. As someone who works for a magazine publisher I like to think I know a little about this subject. Fact is, community has suddenly become a very sexy thing for advertisers. Networks of people can not only propagate but can also magnify messages. But someone’s own network is a relatively personal thing – if you pass something onto someone (or better still recommend it) it is a reflection of you and the choices you make. So it’d better be good. The experiences that brands provide need to live up to expectation. If they don’t, negative messaging can propagate just as fast. Communities are very real – and brands would do well to remember it.