Welcome to the latest edition of The Community Catch Up!

The past couple of weeks on the internet have been wild – Meta dropped a new social media platform and Elon Musk has been restricting Twitter views.

But why get caught up in the chaos when you can grow your own community?

So let’s dive into the world of community building and talk about all the latest trends and stories shaping internet-based societies.

Pull up a chair, grab a cup of coffee, and get ready to stay ahead of the curve with Socially! 🚀

Here’s what’s been happening:

💄 Cosmetics Business reveals beauty’s top brand community trends in new report

😶🌫️ Young people are turning to TikTok community to kick their vaping addiction

🐊 Lacoste launches a new interactive community for their NFT holders

🏳️🌈 LGBTQ+ adults rely more on online spaces to find socialisation and affirmation than their local communities

📖 Why you should be reading Belonging to the Brand

What’s New in Community?

Time to check out some of the biggest stories. The internet has been a busy place…

Cosmetics Business reveals beauty’s top brand community trends in new report 💄

The beauty industry has some of the best examples of successful brand communities.

Sephora is frequently cited as one of the strongest examples with its loyalty-based Beauty Insider programme counting over 25 million members, who are responsible for 80% of the company’s sales.

But now other brands can get in on the action thanks to The Beauty Communities Trend Report.

Here are the key trends for beauty community builders looking to connect with their fandoms:

1.IRL Events

Immersive pop-ups and IRL events are now being used to reward dedicated community members and build loyalty.

2. Community commerce

Beauty shopping sites are starting to focus on a new form of peer-recommended review-based experience.

3. Turning NFTs and virtual worlds into loyalty programmes

Beauty brands are now starting to look at ways to build an active and engaged community within the NFT space that people will continue to want to be a part of.

4. Product co-creation

By involving their most engaged customers in their next product launches, brands can bring products to market that are truly needed and wanted, increasing success while reducing waste.

Young people are turning to TikTok community to kick their vaping addiction 😶🌫️

Turns out, TikTok isn’t just for having fun – lately young people have been coming together to help each other quit vaping.

Lots of influencers and regular folks alike are sharing their personal stories, inspiring each other to take the plunge and stick to it.

It’s a pretty big deal because in 2022, more than 2.5 million middle and high school students were reported to be using e-cigarettes.

TikTok’s #quitvaping hashtag has already been viewed over 806 million times, and tags like #quittingvaping and #quittingnicotine are also pulling in major numbers.

The non-profit Truth Initiative has been harnessing the energy of this community. Their “This is Quitting” SMS program has already helped over 600,000 young people quit vaping. 

Studies show that having support from your family, friends, and online communities can make a huge difference in your success when it comes to kicking the habit. It’s an exciting new example of how brands can tap into communities on social media to help groups of people stay accountable and make a difference in their lives.

Lacoste launches a new interactive community for their NFT holders 🐊

In June 2022, Lacoste entered the Web3 space with the release of 11,000 UNDW3 Cards that could be minted for 0.08 ETH each (around £120). Initially, these cards had little to no utility, leaving purchasers underwhelmed.

However, Lacoste recently flipped the switch by transforming them into passports for their virtual community!

The brand describes it as

“Experience a new interactive UNDW3 adventure and evolve your Lacoste UNDW3 Card. Get ready to solve quests, engage with Lacoste, and unlock exclusive UNDW3 benefits.”

Let’s walk through the 7 new features of these cards:

1. Access to the UNDW3 Site: UNDW3 card holders can access the exclusive site and explore activities such as creative sessions, contests, video games, and even engage in community conversations.
2. Gamified Experience: The Lacoste experience is incentivised with a points system which can be earned though participating in activities. Your UNDW3 Card serves as your scorecard, identity and VIP pass.
3. Community Engagement: Participation and interaction within the Lacoste community also counts towards your points accumulation, encouraging visitors to get talking.
4. Competitive Rarity: The more points you earn, the rarer and potentially more valuable your NFT becomes. This encourages competition, with users competing for top spots on the leader board.
5. Seasons and Chapters: Each ‘season’ or ‘chapter’, the experience will change to keep users coming back for unique adventures throughout the year.
6. Seasonal Rewards: The top 200 most engaged users at the end of a season will receive extra rewards, incentivising engagement with the experience.
7. Point Earning Activities: Your activities and interactions are tracked and rewarded. Users can earn points by joining conversations, solving quests, and co-creating content.

TL;DR – Lacoste is curating a fan-centric experience, allowing their community to participate in the brand’s evolution and potentially increase the value of their NFTs along the way.

We’re really interested to see how this evolves and whether it paves the way for more community led virtual experiences in the future.

Everyone’s talking about…

Thoughts from the world of community marketing.

LGBTQ+ adults rely more on online spaces to find socialisation and affirmation than their local communities.

Data for Progress polled over 1000 LGBTQ+ adults nationally and found that “on a daily basis, LGBTQ+ adults socialize with other LGBTQ+ people more often in online communities or on social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, or Discord (41 percent) than in their local community (33 percent)”.

This report is just one in a body of work that shows how online communities are continuing to grow in importance for marginalised groups.