DePaul Professor Recognized For Industry Shaking Research
DePaul University Marketing Professor Al Muñiz is a trailblazer. Together with Thomas C. O’Guinn from the University of Wisconsin, Muñiz introduced the concept of “brand community” in an article of the same name that was published in the Journal of Consumer Research in March 2001. The article described the emergence of non-geographically bound groups of people who identify with a brand and feel a responsibility to share brand narratives and offer support and solutions associated with the brand. The work had a huge impact beyond business schools and businesses, as it changed the way the marketing industry looked at brands.
“A lot of cultural criticism has lamented the loss of community associated with modernity and the advancement of the marketplace,” Muñiz says. “Our work demonstrates that humans, as social beings, find and create community where they will. Sometimes, they will find it around a shared brand. Such a community form is a testament to the durability, resilience and centrality of community to human existence.”
Muñiz and O’Guinn are being recognized for their work and have been chosen to receive The Sheth Foundation/Journal of Consumer Research Long-Term Contribution award. Presented once every three years, the award honors the lasting contribution of an article that has appeared in the Journal of Consumer Research.
“It was the first paper to explicitly acknowledge the social nature of certain consumer brands,” Muñiz said. “Prior to that, the field of consumer research viewed brands rather narrowly as summations of attitudes and conceived brands and their consumers as a simple consumer-brand dyad. Our work called attention to the consumer-to-consumer relationships centered around the brand and showed that these relationships were just as important. It made the social aspect of brands explicit.”.
Muñiz continues to build on the work. He is currently researching brand co-creation in the LEGO brand community.
About the Author
Max Pulcini
Max Pulcini is a Philadelphia-based writer and reporter. He has an affinity for Philly sports teams, Super Smash Bros. and cured meats and cheeses. Max has written for Philadelphia-based publications such as Spirit News, Philadelphia City Paper, and Billy Penn, as well as national news outlets like The Daily Beast.
