This book presents and analyzes the concept of online brand communities, an emerging and exciting topic in marketing and eCommerce. First, it lays out the foundations like the evolution of the Web and the so-called Social Web, its utility for users and businesses, and the evolution of the marketing mind-set to adapt the Social Web. On this basis, the book then presents a detailed analysis of online brand communities, examining the concept of virtual community with a specific focus on virtual brand communities. In this context the book also explores recent trends related to branding and brand management. Next, it proposes a classification system for online brand communities, taking into account questions like the motivating factors for consumers to join, participate and stay in a community. The process of value creation in communities is examined from both business and consumer perspectives. The book draws to a close with a brief presentation of the process broadly accepted for the successful development of online brand communities.

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Francisco J. Martínez-López, MSc in Marketing, and European Ph.D. in Business Administration, with Extraordinary Doctoral Prize (University of Granada, Spain), is Professor of Business Administration, at the University of Granada, and Marketing, at the Open University of Catalonia (Barcelona), in Spain. He has been visiting scholar at the Zicklin School of Business (City University of New York, NY, USA), Rutgers Business School (Rutgers University, NJ, USA), Aston Business School (Aston University, UK), the University of Chicago Booth School of Business (IL, USA), the Michael Smurfit School of Business (University College Dublin, Ireland), and the Complutense University Business School (Madrid, Spain). He is Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Business Environment (Inderscience Publishers), Associate Editor of European Journal of Marketing (Emerald) and belongs to the Editorial Board of Industrial Marketing Management (Elsevier). Dr. Martínez-López has co-edited several international journals' special issues and research books for leading publishers of business and management research as Springer and Elsevier. He has also co-authored the text book e-business Strategies for E-business: Creating Value through Electronic and Mobile Commerce. Concepts and cases (3rd Edition) (Prentice Hall/Financial Times). Likewise, he has published more than 70 papers in international journals and conferences proceedings. Rafael Anaya-Sanchez, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor of Marketing at the University of Málaga, Spain. His research and teaching interests include Social Web, online communities, retailing, and e-commerce.

Rocío Aguilar-Illescas, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor of Marketing at the University of Málaga, Spain. His research interests are social networks, online brand communities, branding and retailing. Sebastian Molinillo (Ph.D.) has been an Associate Professor of Marketing at the University of Malaga (Spain) since 2002. He particularly enjoys teaching retail management in undergraduate studies, as well as distribution channels and mobile marketing in Masters' programs.His key research interests lie in branding, consumer behaviour and social media. Also he supervises PhD students whose topics include: online brand communities, corporate social responsibility, online reputation, mobile marketing and multichannel marketing. In these topics he has presented research papers at national and international conferences, as well as published papers in peer-review journals. The international texts Retail Management and Town Centre Management are two of six books he has published. Sebastian's practical experience is derived from his consultancy work in both the retail and tourism sectors. He has undertaken research projects for organisations such as the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, the Andalusia Regional Government and the Retail Confederation of Andalusia.

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