Brand Community strategy for Outlook Group

Brand community
A brand is a collection of perceptions in the mind of the consumer. (Kitchen & Schultz,
2001). It is a promise between the company and the consumer that a certain experience will
follow when the brand is used. The brand represents a promise for a larger experience. It
represents an expectation of performance often built on its reputation.
A brand community from a customer-experimental perspective is a fabric of relationship in
which the customer is situated. Crucial relationship include those between the customer and
brand, between the customer and the brand, between the customer and the product in use and
among fellow customers.
According to Muniz and OGuinn (2001), a Brand Community is described as a specialized,
non-geographically bound community, based on a structured set of social relations among
admirers of a brand. The authors postulate three key characteristics of a brand community:
shared consciousness, rituals and traditions, and a sense of moral responsibility.
Why to Build Brand Community ?
It is believed that 68% of consumers trust other consumers opinions posted online.
70% of purchase decisions are influenced Word of Mouth.

Purpose
The magazine industry is currently experiencing a period of significant growth, resulting in
increased competition in the marketplace. As a consequence of these changes we are building
Brand Community of Outlook Magazine for fresh and innovative ways to attract and retain
readers. This project aims to highlight the way in which the community concept offers
opportunities to further bridge the gap between a product and the needs of the consumer.

Outlook India Group

Started in 1995 by Mumbai Based Raheja Group with Mr. Vinod Mehta as Editor-in-chief
and at a time when print media was losing its shine due to progression of Satellite Television.
However within four years of its inception , Outlook English(Weekly) become the fourth
most read news Magazine in terms of Readership and expanded its footstep in Travel,
Business and Money(finance).
OUTLOOK quickly carved a significant niche for itself among discerning readers who value
its in-depth, investigative reporting as well as its stylish visual format. Overall the Outlook
Group has 1.5 Million Readership and in terms of subscription it stands second after India
Today Group.

Mission Statement
We are committed to providing the utmost reading pleasure and valuable information for
our valued customers and our community. On these commitments we will never compromise.
This is the Outlook Group way.
Brand Community Strategy (based on Three Characteristics of brand
communities):
1. Consciousness of kind (Connecting brand with customers):

A facebook page is to be created to invite subscribers from different places. The main
motive of the page would be to create an online community, where fans and
subscribers can come to share their comments, pictures, stories and insider news to
everyone. They could give suggestion relating to magazines contents especially of
articles published in it.
Through this facebook page non-subscribers can communicate to those people who
are subscribing magazines on regular interval sharing their experiences about different
magazines like of Outlook Business, Money and Traveller. Especially those peoples
who regularly subscribing Traveller Magazines and travel to different parts of the
world. They could take suggestions from them about famous tourist places, hotels,
currency exchange points, best tour packages and safety. It will be a great help for the
foreign travellers.
Members will be encouraged to take photographs with Outlook Traveller Magazines
at famous tourist places and upload those pics/snaps on social media, the one who will
get the maximum likes will be awarded with tour packages, special offer, discounts on
next subscription of magazines.
Members will be also encouraged to take photographs of the Special gifts and freebies
that they are getting along with Subscription of Magazines.

2. Rituals and Tradition

(Connecting members with members): India, being a hub of traditions and rituals,
people there are connected with those ongoing happiness and celebration. Outlook
will provide its subscribers,(especially who are living Outside India and regularly
subscribing magazines) a common platform to celebrate their big day like Birthday,
Friendship day, valentines day, New year, Christmas, id, Diwali and Durga Puja etc.

Outlook will form a bonding with its members all over the world on their birthday by
sending them Gift cards, offering future subscription discounts and sharing a facebook
post with their picture wishing them birthday.
On the occasion of friendship day, valentine s day, Outlook will send a Wrist band
depicting the logo of Outlook and will offer a discount to its members. There will be
special arrangements and decoration on the day and special invitations will be send to
its members in the region.
There will be an event on the occasion of Diwali, Eid, Durga Puja, New Year and
Christmas which will provide the members with a platform to exchange their opinion,
happiness and celebrate their big day.
 3. Moral responsibility
(Developing a supportive environment): Brand community makes members of a community
feel morally committed to other community members and the community as a whole.
Members will not only discuss about the brand but there will be discussions on the
topic like Business, Finance, career, job, events and Travelling of different places and
any other important things which will help members to an great extent.
The characteristics of this community include independence, individualism and a
strong loyalty to Outlook Group While they are loyal to the Outlook Magazines,
members are not afraid to criticize the company and look to each other for solutions
and problem solving. Moreover members will also help each other in their hour of
need being it morally, emotionally and financially.
Belonging from the same brand can help local people who are planning to shift in the
foreign countries either for studies or for job. According to UN report by 2015 15
million Indian peoples living outside the country. It will be helpful for them in various
arrangements like house, food, moral support etc.

THE ONLINE CHAT COMMUNITY (Outlookchat.com)

There should be Online Chat Community for Outlook Magazine Subscribers as well as the
people who dont have subscription of Outlook Magazine but they like Outlook Magazines
and want to subscribe Outlook Magazine in near future. Outlookchat.com can be place for
Outlook community in which subscribers can discuss different aspects of Outlook Magazines.
Subscribers as well as non-subscribers of Outlook may share their experiences with each
other in this chat room. Genuine readers can discuss every little issues like of its strength,
weakness etc. They can even provide recommendation for further improvement of
magazines.

HandBand(replica of hand band made by Us)

Wrist Band(replica of wrist band )

Strolley Bag (replica of bag made by us))

 DESIGNING BRAND COMMUNITY STRATEGY FOR
OUTLOOK GROUP

CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR
Course Instructor: Prof. G.K Murthy

Submitted by: GROUP 11

Ashfaque ul Haque (90008)
Ishan Kumar (90021)
Roshni Monga (90047)
Sweta (90056)