Loyalty through Community

Started at 04.30 p.m., the clinic session with Alex Mulya discussed about how to create an effective community marketing. There are three phases in community marketing; discounts (loyalty card), system (IT infrastructure), and relationship (conversation, brand with customers, customers with customers). He also mentioned that a good community must be self-sustaining. ?The community can survive without the brand,? he explained.

In creating a community, the marketers have to consider reasons people join in a community. Customers join in a community because of companionship, goods and service exchange, sense of belonging, pride, and social contribution. If a community could not provide at least one of those, then it would not be an effective community.

There are four levels of brand activation; brand based community, product based community, usage building sponsorship, and presence building sponsorship. The most powerful one is the brand-based one as it is made to create an image, not just n\ awareness. One of the companies who are well-known for its brand based community is Harley Davidson. This company has their own loyal community that is also named after the brand itself.

Djonnie Rahmat, the President Director for PT. Mabua Harley Davidson, shared his story in building a good community for marketing. ?We directly concentrate our program for customers. Our customers are people who are successful and seeking pleasure. Our goal is to provide that pleasure. We try to fulfill their dreams,? he added. Therefore, Harley Davidson always tries to be innovative in creating community activities, such as riding and social activities that also include fun experience.