12 Brand Community Examples That Build Loyalty and Engagement

Read time:  9 mins

In a climate of economic pressure, brands are being asked to do more with less. Budgets are tighter. Attention is harder to earn. Loyalty is no longer guaranteed. Against this backdrop, brand communities have taken on new importance as a durable growth lever.

The strongest brands aren’t relying solely on acquisition or promotions. They’re investing in online brand communities that deepen engagement, strengthen loyalty and build resilience when conditions are uncertain. These communities don’t just bring customers closer. They encourage advocacy, referrals and long-term value.

In this guide, we explore examples of brand communities from global brands across beauty, fashion, fitness and beyond. You’ll see how online brand communities drive engagement, loyalty, referrals and advocacy, and what today’s marketers can learn from the brands doing it best.

What is a brand community?

A brand community is a group of customers, fans or creators who connect around a shared interest in a brand. It’s built on belonging rather than transactions.

An online brand community example might live on a dedicated platform, app, forum or social channel. It brings people together to share experiences, ask questions, create content and engage with the brand and each other. At its best, a brand community creates emotional connection, not just convenience.

Why are brand communities important?

Brand communities turn customers into participants. That shift matters. From a business perspective, communities strengthen retention, fuel advocacy and amplify word of mouth.

Customers who feel part of something are more likely to stay, recommend and engage beyond the checkout. Communities also create a natural environment for creators, superfans and micro-influencers to emerge.

As part of broader customer retention strategies, brand communities help brands reduce reliance on paid media and build growth that lasts.

Examples of brand communities from leading brands

Below are 12 examples of brand communities and online brand communities that show how different models drive engagement and loyalty.

1. Sephora: Online brand community example in beauty

Sephora’s Beauty Insider Community brings skincare and makeup enthusiasts together to ask questions, share routines and give advice. It positions the brand as a trusted advisor rather than just a retailer.

The community complements Sephora’s loyalty programme, reinforcing the difference between customer loyalty vs customer retention by focusing on long-term engagement, not just repeat spend.

2. LEGO Ideas: Co-creation brand community example

LEGO Ideas invites fans to submit and vote on new product concepts. Winning ideas are turned into real sets, with creators credited and rewarded.

This brand community example is a co-creation model that builds deep emotional investment and shows how community input can shape product strategy.

3. Harley-Davidson H.O.G.: Offline and online brand community

Harley-Davidson’s H.O.G. community blends physical meetups with digital engagement. Members bond over shared identity and lifestyle, not just ownership.

It’s a reminder that brand communities can thrive beyond screens when values and belonging are strong.

4. NikePlus: Data-driven brand community examples

NikePlus combines fitness tracking, exclusive content and rewards into a single ecosystem. The community is personalised, performance-led and built around progress.

Data fuels relevance, while community fuels motivation.

5. Glossier: Community-led beauty brand example

Glossier grew by listening first. Its community shaped product development, language and brand identity from the start.

Customers didn’t just buy. They contributed, shared and advocated, making Glossier a standout example of community-led growth in beauty.

6. Apple: Creator-powered brand community example

Apple’s community thrives through creators. From developers to filmmakers, Apple supports people who build on its ecosystem.

The result is a network of advocates who teach, inspire and create content that reinforces brand value.

7. GoPro: User-generated content community example

GoPro’s community is built on action. Customers share footage that showcases what the product makes possible.

This constant stream of UGC fuels credibility, discovery and aspiration.

8. Airbnb: Host-driven online brand community

Airbnb’s host community supports education, connection and shared standards. Hosts learn from each other and feel invested in the platform’s success.

Community here underpins trust on both sides of the marketplace.

9. Peloton: Hybrid digital and IRL community example

Peloton blends live classes, leaderboards and in-person events to create shared experiences. Members motivate each other, turning workouts into social rituals.

10. Starbucks: Loyalty-powered brand community

Starbucks Rewards combines convenience with recognition. Members unlock perks, offers and status that reinforce daily habits.

The community is subtle but effective, anchored in routine and belonging.

11. The Hustle: Referral-led brand community

The Hustle built its audience through referrals, turning readers into recruiters.

Its growth shows how community and referral marketing can work together to scale engagement.

12. ASOS Insiders: Fashion brand community example

ASOS Insiders brings creators and customers together. Members share outfits, trends and styling inspiration across social channels.

This community-led approach turns UGC into discovery and trust at scale.

How to build an online brand community

As you can see from the list of brand communities examples above, building an online brand community starts with belonging, but it works best when there’s a clear structure behind it.

1. Define your shared values

Start by clearly articulating what unites your audience. These values should guide the tone, content and behaviour within the community. When members instantly understand what the brand stands for and who the community is for, engagement comes more naturally.

2. Create clear spaces for participation

Design the community around action, not observation. Set up places where customers can ask questions, share content, give feedback or collaborate. Make it obvious how to take part and reduce friction so joining the conversation feels easy.

3. Build recognition into the experience

Recognition shouldn’t be limited to spend. Spotlight active members, respond publicly to contributions and reward behaviour that strengthens the community. Status, visibility and access can be just as motivating as discounts.

4. Encourage ongoing dialogue, not one-off interactions

Prompt discussion regularly with questions, challenges or updates. Communities grow stronger when engagement is consistent and conversational rather than reactive or campaign-led.

5. Design the relationship as two-way

Listen actively and show how feedback is used. When members can see their input shaping decisions, content or products, trust deepens and participation increases.

A strong online brand community isn’t built overnight. But when these steps work together, belonging turns into engagement and engagement turns into advocacy.

How brand communities drive referrals, loyalty and influencer discovery

Brand communities are where loyalty turns into action because they make advocacy visible and social.

Within a community, recommendations feel natural. Members answer questions, share experiences and point others towards products they trust. Referrals emerge organically because sharing is already part of the behaviour, not an added ask.

Communities also act as a talent pool for influencer advocacy. The most credible creators often start as active members who already understand the brand and speak its language. Their content performs better because it’s rooted in genuine use and peer trust.

With the right infrastructure in place, these behaviours can be connected directly to revenue. Platforms like a referral platform help brands identify advocates within their communities, reward referrals at the right moment and measure the impact across loyalty, acquisition and lifetime value.

Brand communities aren’t just about connection. When designed with intent, they become systems that convert engagement into loyalty, referrals and influence that lasts.

What makes successful brand communities work?

Clear patterns emerge across these brand communities examples, and they’re practical rather than abstract.

First, successful online brand communities are anchored in shared values that are easy to understand and easy to participate in. Members know what the brand stands for and what behaviour is encouraged. Whether it’s creativity, sustainability, performance or self-expression, values give the community its shape and filter who it’s for.

Second, participation is designed in. The strongest communities don’t rely on passive browsing. They actively prompt contribution through questions, challenges, content creation, feedback loops and recognition. Members are given reasons to show up and things to do when they arrive.

Recognition is the final piece. Successful communities reward contribution, not just spend. That might mean visibility, early access, status, or opportunities to collaborate. When members feel seen and valued, engagement becomes habitual rather than forced.

Crucially, the most effective communities don’t exist in isolation. They’re connected to clear business outcomes, reinforcing loyalty, referrals and influence rather than operating as a brand side project.

Harnessing user-generated content: inside brand communities

Speaking of creation, user-generated content (UGC) has emerged as a potent tool for brands willing to interact with their communities in an authentic and engaging way. UGC involves community members in actively contributing content such as reviews, photos, videos and testimonials that showcase their experiences with the brand’s products or services.

By strategically incorporating UGC into your brand strategy, you can empower your community, amplify your reach and foster a more dynamic and relatable brand identity.

UGC brings an air of authenticity to a brand’s messaging. Content created by actual customers serves as genuine endorsements, resonating more deeply with potential customers than traditional marketing materials.

This relatable content demonstrates that real people are genuinely benefiting from the brand’s offerings. Remember that if you actively engage with UGC, you should also signal your appreciation for community contributions. Liking, sharing or reposting UGC will help you acknowledge users’ efforts and encourage more community members to participate and share their experiences.

This diverse range of perspectives highlights different use cases, benefits and personal connections to the brand. As community members share their content on social media and other platforms, they extend the brand’s reach organically, introducing it to new audiences through authentic word-of-mouth recommendations.

ASOS, a leading UK-based online fashion retailer, has masterfully harnessed user-generated content to empower its brand community and redefine the shopping experience. ASOS encourages its customers to share their personal styles and outfit combinations on social media using the hashtag #ASOSInsiders.

This user-generated content showcases diverse fashion choices, trends and unique ensembles that resonate with ASOS’s wide-ranging audience.

Measuring the impact of brand communities

As you invest time and resources in cultivating brand communities, it becomes crucial to quantify and assess their impact to make informed decisions and refine your approach.

Defining clear objectives

Measuring the success of brand community initiatives begins with setting clear objectives. You must identify what you aim to achieve through your community, whether it’s increased customer engagement, higher customer retention rates, improved brand sentiment or other goals. By defining these objectives, you lay a foundation for building meaningful metrics.

Quantifying engagement metrics

Engagement metrics serve as vital indicators of a brand community’s health and effectiveness. Metrics such as active membership rates, frequency of interactions and depth of engagement within discussions provide insights into the community’s vibrancy.

Measuring customer sentiment

The sentiment of community interactions offers a qualitative glimpse into how members perceive your brand and offerings. Analysing sentiment through sentiment analysis tools or manual reviews of community discussions can shed light on whether the community is fostering positive brand perceptions and addressing concerns effectively.

Tracking customer satisfaction and loyalty

Brand community initiatives should contribute to improved customer satisfaction and loyalty. Surveys or polls within the community can gauge member satisfaction levels while tracking changes in customer retention rates over time. This can offer insights into the community’s impact on loyalty.

Quantifying advocacy and referral behaviour

A successful brand community often translates into increased advocacy and referrals. Monitoring the number of community members who refer others to the brand or actively promote it on social media can serve as a metric for gauging the community’s impact on word-of-mouth marketing, as well as allowing for the comparison of the number of users converted via advocacy programmes versus other channels.

Final thoughts: Why brand communities are a long-term growth channel

Brand communities give businesses something increasingly hard to buy: resilience. When markets shift and acquisition costs rise, communities continue to deliver value because they’re built on relationships, not reach.

As we covered with the brand communities examples above, the most effective communities follow a clear progression. Community creates loyalty. Loyalty fuels referrals. Referrals unlock advocacy. Together, they form a sustainable loop that drives long-term growth and reduces dependence on paid channels.

For brands looking to scale with confidence, investing in community isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s a strategic foundation for loyalty, advocacy and word of mouth marketing that lasts well beyond any single campaign.