Come home!

It was a trial that caught the tech industry’s attention: In February, Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg had to appear in court in person in Los Angeles. A 20-year-old plaintiff had accused the company of intentionally designing Instagram to make young users addicted. And while Australia introduced its first comprehensive social media ban for those under 16 nearly a year ago, the EU could follow suit this summer with a similar law. In Switzerland, too, there is debate over the extent to which children’s mental health is at risk on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. If social media is no longer considered a social activity for younger users—what will happen to brand communication?

For Marvin Richner, CEO of the social media agency Equipe One AG in Suhr, in the canton of Aargau, the answer is clear: «Owned Media.» It has long been known that TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat are not a safe haven for brands: Advertisers find only a borrowed infrastructure there, whose direction and terms can change overnight. The debate surrounding the social media ban makes this clear once again. «Most brands don’t own a target audience—they rent it,» Richner emphasizes. In contrast, email lists, WhatsApp communities, proprietary member areas, or events with direct access to the target audience are channels that belong to the brand itself. A potential social media ban is therefore «no problem for strong brands,» but it would spell the end for all those who have never learned to build relationships. The brand expert warns: «Those who wait now will be left behind in three years.» After all, building a community takes time and trust—something that can’t simply be made up in a few months.

People want to be part of something

In principle, the brand-consumer relationship worked much like a friendship. «Exclusive content, genuine interaction, and clear added value are the only sustainable solution,» recommends the CEO of Equipe One. Instead of focusing on quickly building reach—as is often the case with social media—brand managers should keep relevance in mind and ask themselves: »Why should someone become part of our world?»

Sportswear company Adidas has answered this question for its fan group «Adidas Runners.» At the DLD digital conference in Munich, CDO Tobias Seemann outlined how a sense of belonging can be fostered during a panel discussion on communities. Understanding why people want to join a group in the first place provides the foundation for a fan community. «People want to be part of something. A community emerges when we give them exactly that space,» explains Seemann. People aren’t just looking for products—they’re looking for connection. In the international running community, where people from many countries come together, everyone shares the same goal—and that is: to get better. It’s not just about competition; it’s about giving it your all on every run. For «Adidas Runners,» that means training like pros, but at each person’s own performance level. For Seemann, it’s crucial that brands don’t just «pretend to be a community,» but create genuine events where people come together: digitally and—even better—in person.

Another hallmark of a good community is that brands don’t have to advertise it loudly. «Communities aren’t built on reach, but on shared values and cultural relevance,» explained Franziska Gregor, Managing Director of Serviceplan Culture, during the debate. Her thesis: «Fandom arises where people feel seen and understood—not where brands are shouting the loudest.» This emotional dimension of brand management can therefore even outshine a large media budget because it fosters a sense of belonging and creates a social space. That’s good news for smaller brands with smaller budgets.

Gregor’s colleague Alex Turtschan, Director of Innovation at Serviceplan subsidiary Mediaplus, added an interesting detail to the DLD discussion. He observed that many brands still think too much in terms of traditional target audiences, whereas successful communities function differently: they are dynamic and often shaped by the users themselves. «You can’t control communities—you can only create the framework in which they grow,» Turtschan explained. Brand managers must therefore learn to relinquish control and listen more closely. Kendrick Wong agreed with him: co-creation rather than mere interaction—that is the foundation of a community. Wong is the founder of Kasagi Labo, an anime venture studio that makes authentic Japanese anime accessible to a global audience. From his perspective, shaped by gaming and creator ecosystems, platforms, tools, and opportunities for user participation are crucial for building long-term loyalty, according to Wong: «The strongest communities are those that aren’t built for users, but by them.»

Among the prime examples of successful communities is the toy manufacturer Lego. On the «Lego Ideas» platform, fans of the little building blocks can submit their very own building ideas. If a proposal receives enough support from the community, Lego reviews it and may actually turn it into an official set. This turns consumers into co-creators—a principle that greatly strengthens brand loyalty. This strategy is currently on display in the «Lego Arena Mission» campaign in collaboration with Thomas Müller: When the walk-in Lego Arena opens at Munich’s BMW Park on June 14, the community—together with the soccer player—is expected to have unlocked one million Lego bricks across various touchpoints. With this campaign, the manufacturer is focusing on a collective goal that must be unlocked step by step online, in stores, and through live events. This is more than just an attention-grabbing mechanism: it’s an attempt to integrate reach and participation into a unified system. «The World Cup excites people worldwide—we’re not just accompanying this event, but actively shaping the tournament atmosphere together with the fans,” says Theresa Silbereisen, Head of Marketing for LEGO DACH, explaining the strategy that goes far beyond the traditional product.

Brands pave the way toward this goal, first and foremost, by creating occasions. Marc John Otto, Executive Creative Director & AI Artist, recommends storytelling—more specifically, what are known as «narrative brand experiences.» Otto describes this approach as «the art of crafting moments that go beyond mere communication.» This not only raises a brand’s profile but also makes it part of its target audience’s personal story. For him, Campari is a prime example of what such narrative experiences can look like in practice. Instead of merely advertising products, the brand deliberately creates occasions—such as those in the context of art and design—and thus positions itself as part of a cultural ecosystem. “Those who manage to create an experience that is worth sharing and in which people recognize themselves lay the foundation for organic brand impact.” Much like an intense artistic experience at an art opening, it’s not just what you see that stays with you, but also the feeling—and it is precisely this feeling that gets passed on. Even without social media.

«A feeling is passed on, even without social media.»