Brand Engagement 

is a term loosely used to describe the process of forming an attachment

(emotional and rational) between a person and a brand. It comprises one aspect of brand
management. What makes the topic complex is that brand engagement is partly created by
institutions and organizations, but is equally created by the perceptions, attitudes, beliefs and
behaviors of those with whom these institutions and organizations are communicating or
engaging with.

As a relatively new addition to the marketing and communication mix, brand engagement sits in
the space between marketing, advertising, media communication, social media, employer
branding, organizational development, internal communications and human resource
management.

External Brand Engagement

Brand engagement between a brand and its consumers/potential consumers is a key objective
of a brand marketing effort.

In general, the ways a brand connects to its consumer is via a range of "touchpoints" -- that is, a
sequence or list of potential ways the brand makes contact with the individual. Examples include
retail environments, advertising, word of mouth, online, and the product/service itself.

Brand community
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A brand community is a community formed on the basis of attachment to a product or marque.

Recent developments in marketing and in research in consumer behavior result in stressing the
connection between brand, individual identity and culture. Among the concepts developed to
explain the behavior of consumers, the concept of a brand community focuses on the
connections between consumers. A brand community can be defined as an enduring self-
selected group of actors sharing a system of values, standards and representations (a culture)
and recognizing bonds of membership with each other and with the whole. Brand communities
are characterized in shared consciousness, rituals and traditions, and a sense of moral
responsibility.[clarification needed]
The term "brand community" was first presented by Albert Muniz Jr. and Thomas C. O'Guinn in
a 1995 paper for the Association for Consumer Research Annual Conference
in Minneapolis, MN. In a 2001 article titled " Brand Community", published in the Journal of
Consumer Research (SSCI), they defined the concept as "a specialized, non-geographically
bound community, based on a structured set of social relations among admirers of a brand."
This 2001 paper recently has been acknowledged by Thomson Scientific & Healthcare to be
one of the most cited papers in the field of economics and business.

Many brands provide examples of brand communities. In computers and electronics: Apple

Inc. (Macintosh, iPod, iPhone), Holga andLOMO cameras, and Palm and Pocket PC Ultra-
Mobile PCs. In vehicles: Ford
Bronco, Jeep, Miata, Mini Cooper, Saab, Saturn and Subaruautomobiles, and Royal
Enfield and Harley-Davidson motorcycles. In toys: Barbie and Lego.