Spring has sprung and I’ve noticed something beside pollen in the air: increased investment in online communities. The platform providers I’ve talked to are claiming increased demand since the beginning of the year, and the organizations I’m talking to (brands, startups, large NPOs) are shifting investment from social media or making net-new investments. The projects we at Structure3C are being asked to work on signal a shift towards a holistic approach to community: companies want to address the entire customer lifecycle and want customer community at the center of most every function: product, innovation, marketing, and of course, support. The aperture for community-building is opening up, with real business value being creating in innovation communities, and new technologies like AI, VR and algorithmic design expanding the experiential vocabulary for community builders. It’s an exciting time to be in the community space!

I hope you find this newsletter useful. Please reach out if this sparks an idea, if you disagree, or if you want to talk about any of the concepts further. PS: I’m forming a Mastermind group for leaders in corporate innovation roles that run, or are planning to start, ideation / open innovation communities. If you are interested, please send me a note. 

Best regards,

Bill Johnston

415.299.9638bill@structure3c.com