Developing a strong brand community for mobile massively multiplayer online role-playing games on social media

Abstract

The research aims to investigate the key strategies and dynamics to develop a vibrant social media-based brand community (SMBC) for mobile Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPG). Despite their relevance in current marketing literature and the rapid changes related to digital technology, many factors involved in the formation and management of SMBCs are still vague. Moreover, although there has been an accelerated advancement in the mobile game industry, many researchers frequently concentrate only on the games for PC. The research focuses on addressing this research gap and generating new practical knowledge on the topic.

The research phenomena were divided into three sub-problems: the practices for community member recruitment, the challenges in brand community management, and the tactics implemented to overcome them. The research studied a specific case of a global mobile MMORPG, and empirical data was collected primarily from semi-structured interviews with marketing experts. After the data analysis process, five major themes related to the building and management of an SMBC were found: the benefits of SMBCs in mobile MMORPG, the difference in platforms used for PC and mobile players, the metrics to measure community robustness, the recruitment and engagement strategies, and the challenges faced in the process. The study findings not only strengthen the current theoretical knowledge of brand communities but also utilise practical tools for successful managerial implementation.