JOURNAL OF MARKETING DEVELOPMENT AND COMPETITIVENESS
The Strategic Implications of Consumer-Centric Virtual Communities
Author(s): Birud Sindhav
Citation: Birud Sindhav, (2011) "The Strategic Implications of Consumer-Centric Virtual Communities" Vol. 5, Iss. 3, pp. 11 - 23
Article Type: Research paper
Publisher: North American Business Press
Abstract:
The social aspect of Internet-based communities, also known as Virtual Communities (VCs), formed
around a consumption activity or a brand is influencing the marketing actions in a significant way. The
strategic implications of such virtual communities under following four themes: (1) VCs as target
markets; (2) VCs and interpersonal influence on consumers (3) VCs as a leisure pursuit; (4) VCs for
vicarious consumption. The managerial implications of the consumer-to-consumer interactions and future
research directions are also discussed.