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12/08/2009 by
12206 views

IKEA Fans: The Real Brand Fans

What will happen if you as a brand don’t create an online social hotspot for your fans? What about a space where your brand fans can gather and you can facilitate them with the latest news about your products? A spot where fans can generate their own ideas or follow the discussions around your brand? IKEA did not seize this opportunity, but their fans fans did!

ikea_fans

IKEA fans personalized the IKEA experience and created their own spot online; here you can follow or join the latest discussions about IKEA, its furniture, kitchens etc.


You can see the latest blog posts, stories about IKEA online and they even have the IKEApedia!

Very nicely done and you wonder whether this is a missed opportunity by IKEA. Did they forget about their fans or did IKEA leave it up to its fans to create their own social hotspot? Wouldn’t it have been better to facilitate their fans with all materials available by IKEA?

Another nice example we could find: NikeTalk. The ultimate online sneaker community created by one of Nike’s brand fans. Even Windows has fans who created their own social hotspot prior to the introduction of the new Windows 7.

It’s a social network created on Ning to provide Windows 7 peer-to-peer support and experiences. And not only a brand fan page, but also a Twitter account where you can join up and discuss further.

Initiatives which are great opportunities for brands to turn their brand fans into brand advocates. Just enable them with content, ask their opinion, join the conversations and you will turn fans into ambassadors. And brand advocates are everywhere, amongst your co-workers, your family, your friends and they are 5 times more trusted than your brand, telling them you’re the best!

Sources: IKEAfans, NIKETALK, Windows 7 QnA