Managing Online Brand Communities: A Managerial Perspective on Unpaid Influencers

Abstract

This study examines how online communities influence managerial strategizing in digital environments. As digital platforms increasingly shape organizational communication and customer interaction, managers face growing pressure to adapt strategically to externally generated online dynamics. Previous research has primarily approached online brand communities from a marketing perspective, while limited attention has been given to how managers respond strategically to these dynamics. The study focuses on the beauty industry, as this sector is particularly shaped by online brand communities interaction. The purpose of the study is to understand how managers interpret and respond to online brand communities and how these interactions influence decision-making and organizational practices. The study addresses the research question: How do online communities influence managerial strategizing in digital environments? The study adopts a qualitative research design based on 19 semi-structured interviews, which constituted the primary empirical material. Complementary observations of TikTok were conducted to develop a contextual understanding of online interactions and support the development of more refined interview questions. The empirical material was analyzed through thematic analysis. The findings indicate that organizations do not rely on clearly predefined strategies for managing online brand communities. Instead, strategizing appears adaptive and shaped by continuous responses to dynamic digital environments. The study further shows that online communities influence organizational priorities, resource allocation, and everyday practices, as legitimacy and relevance develop outside formal organizational boundaries. The study contributes to Communities of Practice, Strategy as Practice, and emergent strategy literature by illustrating how strategic knowledge and influence emerge through interactions occurring beyond organizational boundaries. Furthermore, the findings suggest that online brand communities should be understood not only as marketing phenomena, but also as organizational infrastructures that shape strategizing and organizational adaption.