Widen your research with these suggested journal articles. Links to SAGE articles have been provided freely.

1. Fournier, Susan and Lara Lee (2009), “Getting Brand Communities Right,” Harvard Business Review, 87 (April), 105–111.

Using the example of Harley Davidson’s turnaround from the edge of disappearance in 1983 to a top-50 global brand valued at $7.8 billion, this article highlights the importance of building a brand community. The authors expose common myths about brand communities and explain how brand communities function.

2. Hatch, Mary Jo and Majken Schultz (2001), “Are the Strategic Stars Aligned for Your Corporate Brand?” Harvard Business Review, 79 (Feb.), 128–134.

The corporate branding toolkit, the image-culture gap and interactions between employees and stakeholders are just some of the topics covered in this article written by Mary Jo Hatch and Majken Schultz. The authors use Proctor & Gamble as an example of these practices.

3. Kates, Steven M. (2004), “The Dynamics of Brand Legitimacy: An Interpretive Study in the Gay Men’s Community,” Journal of Consumer Research, 31 (Sept.), 455–464.

Brand co-creation can occur in many different ways. This article examines how this can occur in communities that aren’t brand focused. The authors make use of qualitative data collected from gay consumers to consider how relationships between communities and their “legitimate” brands.