Community of the Week: Athleta
In the world of online brand communities, AthletaWell could be considered an “infant” since it was just launched in July. Take one look at this new community, and you’ll think otherwise. AthletaWell looks like it leaped off the pages of “Fabulous Communities” magazine…if such a magazine ever existed. (Maybe I should start it?) In its short existence, the site is already cultivating stronger relationships with Athleta customers and setting a new standard for connection with a brand.
What I love:
Highlighting the importance of The Guides. There are guides for each space of the community, and they are the experts in that space. I love how Athleta has put a lot of emphasis on this group by placing “Meet The Guides” in the header and linking to their latest content in various places throughout the site. I wish the same emphasis was made on other communities to introduce the community manager and moderators, because it fosters a welcoming feeling for new users.
Partnership with obé Fitness. It was a smart move by the AthletaWell community to create this exclusive partnership which provides access to free workout videos! Even if you go to obé’s web site, you have to start a trial to access their videos. This is a MAJOR perk for community members.
A plethora of events. Many brand communities I have worked with will wait to launch events until the community is at least a few months old. Kudos to Athleta for providing that experience from the start! Members have a number of opportunities to begin making connections and getting value from this young community.
Smart naming with “AthletaWell”. It’s great to see a brand come up with a distinct name for its community, because this helps to differentiate the community experience from the rest of the brand experience. That becomes more important over time as members start to feel a sense of loyalty and pride with this space that’s kind of acting like a brand within a brand.
My wish list:
Leaderboards. By this point, you’re probably all tired of me going on and on about leaderboards, but I believe in them as an effective gamification tactic. I admit, though, that I’d be open to reading updated research on their effectiveness. Still, to me, they instill a feeling of competition and, dare I say, envy…both of which make me want to give more to a community. Who doesn’t want to see their name and avatar at the top of a list?!
More spaces. The current categories of spaces are a great start, but there’s much more that encompasses women’s wellness. I look forward to the announcement of even MORE spaces, and something tells me their community team is already on it. 😉 (To be fair, I did recommend* that they start light and add more later on, and now I’m just so eager to see more!)
Custom avatars. Alright, I’m stretching here, but there’s SO much this brand could do creatively, and I think a good start would be offering some custom avatars. Even better, offer them when a user hits a certain rank and then unlocks that capability. That’s an incentive I’d work toward. (I know. I know. I’m easily motivated.) 👍
*Full disclosure: I worked with the AthletaWell team in the beginning stages of launching their community, however, I was not asked to publish this post nor were they aware I was going to. Surprise!
What do YOU think of the AthletaWell Community? If you’re reading this in your inbox, just hit reply to send me your response privately. If you’d like to share publicly, scroll to the comments section below (or, again, if you’re reading this in your inbox, click on the title at the top of the email. Then, scroll down to the comments section.)
This is part of a weekly series where I’ll select a community I’m inspired by and write about it. Sometimes they’ll be ones that I’m a member of. Sometimes they won’t. Sometimes they’ll be clients. Sometimes they won’t. Each post will share what I enjoy the most about that community, and if you’re familiar with it, I hope you’ll share what you like about it, too.
Do you have a nominee for Community of the Week? If so, send me a brief email with the name, URL, and a few sentences as to why I should highlight it and check it out.