From community to currency

Today, many car manufacturers are shifting their focus toward building and engaging with car communities as a key marketing strategy, recognizing the significant impact these communities have on customer loyalty, brand perception, and ultimately vehicle sales.

Brand enthusiast car communities consist of individuals who are deeply passionate about a company, actively follow it, and share their knowledge and experiences with others. When nurtured effectively, these communities play a crucial role in strengthening a brand and ensuring its longterm success. According to Forbes, 80% of consumers believe that communities are important for fostering brand engagement, and 84% say that the community surrounding a brand directly influences their feelings toward it.

Cultivating a community encourages positive word-of-mouth and user-generated content, which is particularly appealing to millennials and Gen Z, as it offers authentic inspiration in the oversaturated age of social media and influencer marketing.

Active car communities attract potential customers by allowing them to engage with the brand and its identity even if they do not own one of the brand’s products (yet). Consequently, community building can drive sales from new customers as well as repeat purchases from existing members, thereby increasing the customer lifetime value (CLTV).

To assist OEMs in this effort, we have developed a straightforward framework for efficiently navigating the car-community-building process and avoiding common pitfalls. This framework consists of four key factors: culture, engagement, budget, and management.