Anne-Marie Twigge on the misconceptions surrounding communities.

Brands are collectively dreaming of community-building. Inspired by trends and conferences like SXSW, they invest in platforms, loyalty programs, and online networks. But the reality is that most of these initiatives fail—not because consumers don’t want connection, but because brands make the fundamental mistake of thinking a community is something you can build instead of something you need to understand.

A community is not a marketing product, nor a strategic vehicle. Communities arise organically around shared interests, values, or needs. Like a flock of birds, they form around a common purpose. Trying to construct such a group isn’t just ineffective—it ignores the way people actually organize themselves.

The Misconception of Community-Building

Many brands think launching a platform or hiring an influencer is enough to create a community. But successful communities don’t emerge from corporate strategies; they grow from intrinsic engagement. A good example is the BeyHive, Beyoncé’s global fanbase. This isn’t a carefully designed marketing strategy, but a collective that formed naturally. The fans already existed—the brand simply had to recognize and support them.

Marcus Collins, cultural anthropologist and former digital strategist for Beyoncé, didn’t develop the fanbase by building it from scratch—he observed and named what already existed. He and his team stopped trying to “build” a community and instead chose to support and strengthen the BeyHive.

Cultural Intelligence: The Forgotten Key to Brand Engagement

This highlights the importance of cultural insight in brand strategy. Rather than forcing a community, it’s far more effective to identify existing cultural movements and align with them. This requires a fundamental shift in mindset: not “how do we build a community?” but “where are the communities we can connect with?”

Nike and Levi’s understand this principle. Nike’s Super Bowl commercial Just Win and Levi’s Reimagined campaign with Beyoncé don’t impose a message—they amplify existing cultural movements. They don’t claim a place within a community; they strategically join it.

What This Means for Brands

• Communities are not a marketing trick. They form around intrinsic interests, not clever strategies. Understand what drives people and respond to that.

• Cultural insight is essential. Brands like Nike and Levi’s don’t build communities—they align with existing movements and amplify them.

• Brands should support, not dictate. The future of marketing lies in facilitating existing networks, not in building new ones.

• The economy is shifting toward community. Successful brands move with cultural dynamics and add value to communities.

As a forecaster at Fitzroy, I work daily with brands seeking deeper cultural relevance. They understand that their brand cannot build a community, but they can position themselves strategically within existing networks. The question is not ifbrands should adapt to this reality—but how fast they do. Those who cling to community-building as a strategy are falling behind. Those who invest in cultural intelligence, win.

This piece was originally published on https://marketingreport.nl/community-builders-waar-is-die-culturele-intelligentie/