Why brands are so obsessed with community

Summary

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Style-ish Podcast: "Why brands are so obsessed with community"

Episode Date: December 11, 2025
Hosts: Mads & Ray (Shameless Media)

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Episode Overview

This episode of Style-ish dives into why brands are increasingly obsessed with building and leveraging "community." The hosts examine the evolution of “run clubs” as a brand strategy, dissect the difference between genuine and “synthetic” communities, and use iconic examples (like Nike Run Club, On Running, and Revolve's Coachella activation) to highlight what brands get right—and wrong. The discussion wraps up with insights and practical advice for brands looking to authentically build community in the future.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Rise and Strategy of Run Clubs

• The Boom in Run Clubs

  • Ray notes how there’s a “massive run club boom” but that, despite feeling new, run clubs have existed for decades ([00:08]).
  • Both hosts frame run clubs as a lens to explore how brands activate communities.

• Nike Run Club: The Global, Performance-led Community

  • Nike’s history with run clubs: “I think they were the first to tap into it as a potential community where it had scale.” ([00:25] Ray)
  • Focused on performance and a global community, especially with the launch of Nike Plus GPS in 2010 and the popular Nike Run Club app ([01:11], [01:36]).
  • Mads shares her experience: “They knew when I was like feeling like tired at the 6k mark...they’d be like, you got this. Go girl.” ([01:57]-[02:27])
  • Discussion of Nike’s marketing shift from elite athletes to embracing everyday runners ([03:05]-[03:58]).

• On Running: Local, Story-driven Approach

  • Ray: “On lean more into human winning culture, the storytelling focuses on that everyday runner. They really focused on going that local strategy.” ([04:42])
  • Notable for harnessing and empowering existing local run clubs—"one of the first brands to really embrace local communities and sponsor local run clubs, which we’re now seeing all the time." ([05:07])
  • These run clubs double as cultural and social hubs: music, coffee, mingling post-run ([05:31]).

Genuine vs. Synthetic Communities

• Defining ‘Synthetic Communities’

  • Ray introduces Nick Goodnall’s term: “Synthetic communities...when the purpose isn’t connection, it’s extraction.” ([06:40])
  • Mads illustrates: “It’s when a community event or engagement moment is a content farm...is this about the customer or are you getting a shit ton of content?” ([06:11])
  • The tension between content generation/sales goals (“KPI metric, not a brand metric”) and authentic connection ([06:59]).

• Revolve at Coachella: A Case Study in ‘Synthetic Community’

  • Mads: “Revolve and Coachella is like the epitome of a synthetic community. It was essentially a content carnival.” ([07:44])
  • Describes disappointment among true fans/customers: “A lot of what had been showcased by creators wasn’t actually available there anymore...mistrust and disappointment.” ([08:08])
  • Humorous aside referencing the Fyre Festival doc: “…one of the most iconic Netflix cut downs I’ve ever seen.” ([08:33])

The Commercialization of Culture & Branded Events

• Shift in Festivals & Sponsorship

  • Ray: “Every time I think of Coachella now, I do think it is just a branded event. I don’t even see it as a music festival anymore because all I see are brands popping up around there.” ([09:19])
  • Festivals need sponsors: “Ticket sales alone don’t keep those things afloat...that’s the harsh reality.” ([10:05]-[10:19])

• Positive Example: Tom Organics at Splendour in the Grass

  • Mads: “They weren’t selling anything, they were just there…handing out tampons to the girlies. Maybe just needed one or forgot to pack them. And I loved that. That’s genuine community to me because it’s generosity of spirit.” ([10:32])

The Future of Community for Brands

• Skepticism and Hope

  • Mads predicts: “I fear it will go down before it goes up...The smartest brands will go: this is an offline community event. No phones, no photos. You come, you have genuine connection and moment.” ([11:10]-[11:47])
  • Ray: “Word of mouth is the most powerful form of marketing.” ([11:47])

• Trust, Authenticity, and the Power of Word of Mouth

  • “Word of mouth to me will always be the most trusted source or recommendation.” ([12:11])
  • Anecdote: friends will buy a product based on an authentic personal recommendation, not an influencer or flashy campaign ([12:28]-[12:43]).

• Nick Goodnall’s Three Pillars for Real Community

  • Ray: “He said that there are three things real communities are based on:
    • Collaboration: group comes together, not just consumes
    • Safety: free to share without being mined for data or pressure to buy
    • Generosity: value flows both ways” ([12:53]-[13:42])
  • Advice for brands: “Brands could use Nick’s strategy as a checklist. Like, are we doing this?...What I would like to see is more accountability for brands doing it better.” ([13:35])

• Final Takeaway

  • “If it doesn’t feel authentic to your brand or to your output. Don’t do it.” ([14:03])
  • “Say it with your chest and we’ll leave it there.” ([14:08])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Brand Motivation:

  • “Synthetic communities...when the purpose isn’t connection, it’s extraction.” (Ray, [06:40])
  • “Is this about the customer or are you getting a shit ton of content?” (Mads, [06:11])

• On Community Building:

  • “Word of mouth is the most powerful form of marketing.” (Ray, [11:47])
  • “Word of mouth to me will always be the most trusted source or recommendation.” (Mads, [12:11])
  • “If it doesn't feel authentic to your brand or to your output. Don't do it.” (Ray, [14:03])

• Lighter Moments:

  • “Of course, Roger Federer actually has a share in this and that is what made his net worth clock over a billion dollars… his wife, of course. Fucking yeah, the girls.” (Mads, [04:18])
  • Fyre Festival aside: “...one of the most iconic Netflix cut downs I’ve ever seen.” (Ray, [08:33])

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Segment Timestamps

• 00:00-01:38 — Introduction: Personal run club experiences
• 01:38-03:58 — Nike Run Club: Strategy, evolution, and inclusivity
• 04:02-06:02 — On Running & Different Approaches to Community
• 06:03-07:33 — Synthetic vs. Genuine Community explained
• 07:44-09:19 — Revolve at Coachella: A cautionary tale
• 09:19-10:32 — Brand sponsorship and commercialization of culture
• 10:32-11:10 — Positive brand-community examples (Tom Organics)
• 11:10-12:11 — The future: offline, authentic community; word of mouth
• 12:53-14:03 — Nick Goodnall's "community checklist"
• 14:03-end — Final advice for brands, wrap-up

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Conclusion

The hosts make a compelling case that while communities are increasingly part of brand strategies, consumers are getting savvier about authenticity. The most effective, trusted brand communities are built on real generosity and collaboration, not just content mining or transactional motives. Brands should focus on genuine value, offline connection, and authenticity—backed by an honest assessment using the checklist of collaboration, safety, and generosity.

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Transcript

[A]

Who are your favourites?

[B]

So I'm on the run club train.

[A]

I knew you were going to say this. I just knew without even looking at our notes. I knew you'd go here.

[B]

I. I do find it really interesting. There is a massive run club boom and it feels new, but it's not new. Run clubs have been around for decades. I've been a long time runner. Never actually participated in a run club though. I'm a solo runner.

[A]

She kind of said that with a bit of pride. Hey, you run with Lou every now and then.

[B]

I do run with my husband every now and then. I run with a couple of girlfriends but it's usually one person, not a big group. But I'm all for them. I really like them particularly because they foster different types of runners. I want to talk about two brands that I feel are approaching run clubs quite differently. Yeah, the first is Nike. Full transparency up top. I have worked with Nike Running in the past but in the context of this conversation, free from bias because I also want to talk about them in comparison to on running and how they have actually approached run clubs as a third space and their strategy for acquiring those third spaces quite differently now. Now I would say that Nike running were probably one of the og. I wouldn't say they weren't the first to sponsor run clubs but I do think they were the first to tap into it as a potential community where it had scale.

[A]

Yeah. Early adapters.

[B]

Early adapters. And I've always found their strategy quite interesting because it always felt like it was very global. It was very much about how we building a Nike running global community and this ties to tech for me. They launched Nike Plus GPS in September 2010. They actually rebranded in 2016 the Nike Run Club app app, which I would say is the most well known and one of the more popular run club apps you use.

[A]

It got me to my half marathon.

[B]

I bet.

[A]

Yeah. I love it.

[B]

So I want to ask you about this experience because the in app experience I think is quite unique because you get access to leading athletes global community of other people who are avid runners. They do give you discounts for product. Can you tell me about your experience and how you felt connected in that app or did you not feel connected?

[A]

I think I felt connected in the sense that like I was much like you. I was running alone. I was really embarrassed. I was like coming out of like you know, not exercising a lot. Cause I hadn't been all that well during all the rounds of fertility stuff and you know, I was coming back and I didn't want to run with my girlfriends that I'd previously ran with. Cause I didn't feel like I was as fit as I was or when we were running together. And so I loved that. Like, you know, it's like they knew when I was like feeling like tired at the 6k mark of the 10k run that they'd be like, you got this. Go girl.

[B]

And I'm like, super motivation.

[A]

Yeah, okay. Like, I've got it. Which is so funny because the irony of that is I've been to community based gyms and I'm like, you know what, Tom? You fucking yell at me one more time and I will cancel this membership on the spot today. Like, it's very positive reinforcement rather than like negging, which feels like a lot of gyms. So I loved that and I loved that when I did the half marathon, it was the Nike half marathon and it felt like I'd come full circle with them as kind of like my handholder.

[B]

It gives you that outlet to feel like you're part of the community and you feel like you can strive towards something. I would say that Nike has more of a performance focus.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Compared to other brands.

[A]

I would say that I've noticed in their marketing campaigns over the last 18 to 24 months, they've really tried to refocus that because it was so performance led for so long. I feel that their partnerships and also their campaigns that they've had have very much been to run on is just to run.

[B]

No. It's interesting because I absolutely see this in their marketing strategy for running specifically because I feel they were very, very performance, very athlete focused. They've lost a lot of market. They have. The numbers are out there. People who are just wanting to start getting into running maybe not running more than five kilometers. They don't feel like they're accepted into that space because it was so performance focused for so long. Definitely been a huge shift to it being an everyday run of focus. But I think that's reactive to how these other brands have come in and really positioned themselves as an everyday runner apparel and footwear brand.

[A]

Agree.

[B]

And one of the best brands that I think has done that really well is on running.

[A]

Yeah, I fucking love their runners. As a total side note, guys, the Cloudmonster. I think it's cloudmonster too that I've got the comfiest running shoe I've ever worn.

[B]

And so distinctively unique. When you see that platform, that foam, cloud like platform, you instantly know it's an on running shoe.

[A]

May I Offer you a tidbit about on running. Totally. Of course, Roger Federer actually has a share in this and that is what made his net worth clock over a billion dollars.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

And you know who brought him the deal? His wife, of course. Fucking yeah, the girls.

[B]

Yeah, the girls. I hope she got a nice little cut of that too. Little management fee there. Surely.

[A]

Surely. Ray, why do you love ON so much? Aside from the fact their sneakers are obviously great and distinctive?

[B]

In the context of this conversation around run clubs and how I feel on have done it differently to Nike, I think Nike, as I said, did a great job at global performance driven culture. I think on lean more into human winning culture, the storytelling focuses on that everyday runner. They really focused on going that local strategy. So they really targeted existing communities.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Which coming back to your point up top, Mads, you know, they harness and were able to identify the local communities, the people who were already running and went, hey, we can work with you. And they were actually one of the first brands to really embrace local communities and sponsor local run clubs, which we're now seeing all the time.

[A]

Oh, yeah, you name the sports brand, they're sponsoring a run club or a Pilates studio or yoga group like they are.

[B]

They've found someone as well to round it out. We've obviously touched on a few examples in run clubs, but they do really double as culture hubs. Yeah. You know, we're seeing the music integration, we're seeing the coffee clubs at the end. We're seeing a way for them to come together not just in a running capacity, but also connecting. How are you driving conversation after that initial run? All sweaty and hot, but it's still happening. And I think ON has done a really good job at doing that throughout the entirety of their run club strategy compared to Nike.

[A]

I would completely agree with that.

[B]

We've talked about the positives and the negative of building communities. I want to talk about synthetic communities. Have you heard this term?

[A]

Oh, I absolutely have. I think about synthetic communities all the time and maybe that's why I'm continually squinting now, because I think you can spot them from a mile away. To me, it's when a community event or engagement moment is a content farm, when there's multiple media walls, when everything is built to look aesthetically pleasing. I'm like, is this about the customer or are you getting a shit ton of content?

[B]

So Nick Goodnall, he is the one who actually coined the term synthetic communities. And Mads, what you've said pretty much summarizes that perfectly. So he defined it as when the purpose isn't connection, it's extraction. We're going to link this video in the show notes because it just is so bang on.

[A]

Yeah. So succinct. Where I think genuine and synthetic communities delineate is that one is to give back to the community and one is to get something from them. If you are doing this because you want content, because you want to increase sales, if they're just like your primary objectives and this is a KPI metric, not a brand metric, you are a synthetic community. If you do this because you want to thank and show gratitude to your community and create a moment for them to connect, that is genuine community to me.

[B]

I completely agree. I want you to talk about the example you spoke to me off mic about Coachella because I feel this is one of the best examples of a synthetic community.

[A]

We were talking about this this morning over text and I think that Revolve and Coachella is like the epitome of a synthetic community. It was essentially a content carnival. If I was to put a word on it. They had it look like customers could go. They had it look like all these micro influencers and genuine fans of the brand could go. The reality was it was a top tier down content creators paradise. A lot of customers who were going and engaging with the brand, but a lot of what had been showcased by creators wasn't actually available there anymore or, or had run out. A lot of just mistrust and disappointment because it was like, okay, well you sold us the dream and then we got here and not to call it the Fyre Festival because by no means, you know, were we like, you know, willing to do awful things for Evian water.

[B]

But you know, oh my God, sorry. That is has to be one of the most iconic Netflix cut downs I've ever seen.

[A]

One of my favorite lines of all time and I will never not think of it when I drink Evian water, which I'm sure they're so fun, they'll.

[B]

Be filthy about that. Filthy. I mean, good brand recall.

[A]

Anyway, we digress. But my point is Revolve tried to create this community first moment, but really it was a content farming opportunity with creators and it pissed off their actual customers. That is the prime example of a synthetic community that's just gone bad. And now with personal communities that can be created on social media and virality, it was just not good for evolve. The fallout was bad, bad.

[B]

I mean, every time I think of Coachella now, I do think it is just a branded event. I don't even see it as a music festival anymore because all I see are brands popping up around there. Yeah, it feels like it's. It is about the brands and the sponsors first and the music second. I haven't been though, so I can't speak from experience.

[A]

But it girls going in April. I'll be sure to send my feedback.

[B]

I want the feedback, I want the rundown. But as a whole, I do feel the music and festival industry has become heavily commercialized and Coachella was definitely the starting point for that. Even in our own local backyard, you know, it's really hard for local music to be shared and to be an experience without brands being involved. That's the harsh reality as well, because they're the ones who are paying the sponsorships and helping pay the artist fees.

[A]

Ticket sales alone don't keep those things afloat. And I think people get so angry when there's a drink sponsor or a merch sponsor. But I think that's really great insight, Ray. Like these events, a lot of them have folded due to the fact they can't sustain these sponsorships.

[B]

Exactly. And it is definitely a fine line. I feel that Coachella is perhaps the extreme version of that, but I'm less inclined to punch down in our own backyard, knowing full well that it's definitely a tough climate for the industry.

[A]

Can I. I know we don't want to punch down. I want to clap up. There was one years ago, Tom Organics sponsored Splendor in the Grass and had a pop up there. They weren't selling anything, they were just there. Much like the lovely girl at the pub on the weekend.

[B]

Say, where were they?

[A]

At Mount Erica, handing out tampons to the girlies. Maybe just needed one or forgot to pack them. And I loved that. That's genuine community to me because it's generosity of spirit. Maybe that's the word or term I've been looking for this whole episode.

[B]

Generosity of spirit.

[A]

I quite like that.

[B]

Okay, I want to finish here.

[A]

Now.

[B]

Where do brands go from here?

[A]

Where do brands go from here?

[B]

Like, what is the future of community building for brands? What are we doing about it?

[A]

I fear it will go down before it goes up. So I've got two. I've got two scenarios for you. One is we're going to keep seeing a whole lot more of the same. So more run clubs, we're going to see more dinner clubs, we're going to see more walking groups, we're going to see all of those things right where I think the future will go. And the smartest brands will Go. This is an offline community event. No phones, no photos. You come, you have genuine connection and moment. And where customers regain trust by going, huh? You're not looking for anything out of me. This is just for me to enjoy.

[B]

And they'll talk about it. Word of mouth is the most powerful form of marketing.

[A]

We know the power of our influence on this podcast and, and I don't want to say that from a place of an ivory tower or being obnoxious. The reality is we only come on here and genuinely recommend products that we purchase and that we genuinely love. That's why the swap is so trusted.

[B]

And that's why it works so well. And so many people want more wrecks.

[A]

Exactly. But word of mouth still is the best. Let me tell you, I can talk about a too faced liner or a Uniqlo T shirt that I love on here. And yes, I know that people will go and purchase those things because we're so authentic. Or Joe will recommend a serum. Arnica will recommend a $6 Kmart drink bottle. But I've also seen at the wine bar eight girlfriends without their phones at the same time to all buy a Victoria Beckham liner. Because I'm like, no, it's actually that good. Word of mouth to me will always be the most trusted source or recommendation.

[B]

I am said friend.

[A]

I do hope that the future of community eventing and moments is that it is genuine trust and connection.

[B]

Okay, you've got me thinking, because Nick Goodnar, the marketing expert that I spoke about earlier, he said that there are three things real communities are based on. The first being collaboration. So this is when a group comes together, not just consumes, which is really similar to what you've touched on. Safety is number two. So people feel free to share without being mined for data or pressure to buy. Again, you've just touched on that point around going offline. Brands really looking at it as like an unplugged opportunity. And the third and final one is generosity, where value flows both ways. So honestly, brands could use Nick's strategy as a checklist. Like, are we doing this? Because I think brands can do it. Well, I do think the trend or the strategy of community doesn't have to die. What I would like to see is more accountability for brands doing it better. And honestly, Nick's got it down pat for me.

[A]

Ray, I think you're bang on. Honestly, if you are a brand or you're a marketer listening to this and you're planning on doing a community group engagement event activity, just the three simple checklists it really is as simple as that. In the age old saying of keep it simple, stupid. A little kiss. I'd seal it with a kiss also.

[B]

You just don't have to do it. If it doesn't feel authentic to your brand or to your output. Don't do it.

[A]

Yeah. Say with your chest and we'll leave it there.

[B]

I don't think we have anything else to add.

[A]

I love that our new thing on this podcast has just been like, yep. So we'll just wrap that up there. That sounds good.

[B]

And I'm finished, guys. No, seriously, that's actually all we have time for today. You'll hear Mads, Joe and Annika back on Wednesday. Feel free to email style-ishamelessmedia.com au or slide into our DMs over at Stylish Pod to keep the conversation going. As always, big thanks to our show's production team, head of podcast Lucy Hunt, and senior podcast producer Kate Emmer Burke. Mads and I will see you in two weeks. Love y'.

[A]

All.

[B]

Bye Bye.

[A]

This podcast was recorded on Wurundjeri land. Always was, always will be Aboriginal land.