:// Aqute Research. Community engagement.

What are people in online communities saying about your products?

How can you start a sustainable conversation with the members of an online community?

Do online influencers exist for your product?

Online communities can be useful to companies in two ways. They allow you to find out what consumers think without the inherent polluting effects of surveys and focus groups. And they give you a chance to interact with consumers in a way that is more direct, honest and valuable than advertising.

However, follow the wrong advice and you could not only waste your effort but damage your brand and reputation. We bring to your project our years of online community analysis, including personal interaction with thousands of community members. Aqute's expertise lies in being comprehensive while not treating community engagement as merely a mass counting exercise. Working with communities is rewarding to companies and their customers because it is an exchange of value, not a one-way broadcast. Aqute goes beyond the basic services that are risk management and brand monitoring, seeking instead to really engage with people on their own terms. Aqute can work with you to create a truly valuable, long-lasting platform.

Some of the companies that we have helped engage with communities:

Case studies in community engagement

Leading CPG manufacturer: One of the world's leading consumer goods manufacturers asked us to measure how conversations in online communities develop, what the role of brand mentions is and whether conversations can be influenced. Through statistical analysis of online comments, we identified purchase drivers and online influencer characteristics. More importantly, the research was an in-depth exercise in understanding what really goes on in communities, trying to get away from using communities as a new audience for advertising, and creating real engagement beneficial to both sides. Aqute provided a detailed launch plan for community engagement and community creation. How was the research useful to our client? The research has formed the basis of several community initiatives, allowing the consumer goods company to approach online communities on their own terms and win greater acceptance for its messages.

Global television broadcaster: Aqute helped a television and radio broadcaster to understand how it could reach young consumers on social networks. Aqute conducted a global study of how media companies use social networks, including why some initiatives succeeded and why some failed. We analysed actual engagement with social networks, comparing this against shallower viral marketing. The research included consumer interviews focusing on music discovery and the role of mainstream brands in an online community environment. Aqute provided recommendations for community engagement and viral marketing. How was the research useful to our client? The television broadcaster used our analysis to sign up tens of thousands of young people to new online games and music widgets.