Shared Rituals and Traditions

screenshot of his Spotify data and asked; “How does yours look? Have a nice day 🙂” (nr.

460). 86 comments where members display their own Spotify-activity were posted. For example, a comment goes; “We can conclude that the SOUNBOKS Community listens a lot to Gilli” which indicates a common ground of reference and fellowship within the group (Gilli is a Danish rapper/actor).

Legitimacy

According to Muniz & O’Guinn (2001) Legitimacy and oppositional brand loyalty is two aspects to shared consciousness. Due to the ease of becoming a member and the characteristics of a Facebook community it is hard to establish whether a legitimacy is present. The members who are not true loyal to the community, may not engage at all and the other members may therefore not be aware of them.

Oppositional brand loyalty

As for oppositional brand loyalty, we were not able to establish a direct oppositional interaction regarding other brands. Nevertheless, all communications regarding industry-related brand(s) concerns SOUNDBOKS. SOUNDBOKS is presented as the only option to questions such as “which speaker would you recommend”? (Nr 342, See appendix) “Hey Soundboks dk! I’ve had a Soundboks 1 forever now, I think its number 1100 or something, and it’s time for an upgrade. I would therefore like to hear with you which one you would recommend, nr 2 or 3? Advantages? Disadvantages? Preferably from people who had both. Thanks in advance and wash your hands <3” (Nr 63, appendix C) 5 members owning both the 2 and 3 gave elaborated arguments for which one they would

recommend. This indicate that SOUNDBOKS is the only brand the members are loyal to.

This may not come as a surprise, as the community in fact is hosted by SOUNDBOKS. For this reason, members may feel restricted to mention other brands. It is therefore hard to establish whether or not true oppositional loyalty is present through observations.

or tradition. Members frequently exchange Spotify playlists, ask for music inspiration and make suggestions for songs suited to be played on the SOUNDBOKS. As for

customization, members share their customized products and ask for inspiration, help and inputs to the process. The following posts illustrate the phenomenon of shared rituals;

“What song plays best on your speaker? On mine it’s this one” (nr. 657) – 8 comments with pictures of the members’ favourite songs.

“Please post some good song, I’m lacking inspiration for good music to play on my Soundboks” (nr. 346).

“I would like to extend my playlist for my beloved Soundboks does someone have any bangers?” (nr. 55) – Received 60 comments with song- and playlist suggestions.

Further on, the circumstances of the current corona crisis have put parties and enjoying music in bigger gatherings to a drastic end. However, it does not seem to stop the members from sharing the rituals connected to music. As an alternative, SOUNBOKS members are hosting balcony parties to keep a distance, while still enjoying music

together. In a recent post SOUNDBOKS shared the message showed below. It is a good example of firm-initiated interaction and it is posted in a time of need for closeness – as many feel alone and distanced from others during this time.

“We are in solo-mode these days, but music still plays a big role. We are experiencing these genius balcony parties (with a SOUNDBOKS), but how are you using yours in alternative ways these days? Spread good vibes! “(nr. 107).

Sharing brand stories

The next aspect concerns the act of sharing brand stories. SOUNDBOKS has a quite solid brand story, which is told through the brand statement of “Break Through the Noise”. Both the brand and their customers seem to aspire towards this declaration. As presented in the case description (chapter 4.0), the story involves a lifestyle where they want to break down social barriers which keep us from doing what we really want – mostly in a festive setting, but also on a personal level. However, most of the posts in the community reflect the mantra through hosting unique parties (e.g. nr. 561, Appendix C). The rather inspiring

mantra is also evident through the company’s initiation of competitions. In a competition hosted by SOUNDBOKS, they encouraged members to “Break through another crappy New Year’s” (nr. 384). The instructions were to take a “sick” group photo/video of the ones you celebrate New Year’s. The winner (nr. 316) decided to take the challenge to the next level and hosted a party where they invited strangers for a New Year’s Party and

encouraged everyone to party sober. He describes it as;

“Now that’s how to live by the SOUNDBOKS mantra “Break Through the Noise” – a

lifestyle of breaking down social barriers and set ourselves free in a party setting, wouldn’t you say?”

Another example is Hjalte (nr. 561, Appendix C) who invites the members of the

community to a private SOUNDBOKS event. The intention of the event is to test a new concept in regard to their tagline “Break through the noise”. A part of the description goes;

“Hjalte and his friends will facilitate an inclusive experience designed to make us all break down our barriers”. These posts aim to show how the motto is embedded in the

community, for members and brand alike. A last example of such a manifestation is firm-initiated and motivated by the company’s 5-year anniversary. SOUNDBOKS wanted to hear how the community-members have been incorporating their slogan in their lives for the past 5 years (Nr 115);

”Share your experience that best respond to our slogan through either image or video”.

The five best posts were set to receive a big merchandise birthday present. 73 members ended up sharing detailed stories in the comment section of their “Break Through the Noise” experiences. Amongst others, the following post showed how the slogan is interpreted and proudly showcased in consumer lives:

“Congratulations! I was on skiing-vacation in Wagrain the other week. Every day we turned it up to 11 and made so many people happy. You could hear the Soundboks almost across the entire mountain. That’s what I call Break Through The Noice.”

Celebrating the history of the brand

The Danish Roskilde Festival constitutes an important tradition for the SOUNDBOKS community and the brand. The SOUNDBOKS history began at Roskilde, when the three founders wanted to break through the noise with the loudest music and coolest parties.

SOUNDBOKS usually hosts parties, events and a camping area during the festival. They also use Roskilde in their marketing as a way to celebrate the history of the brand. For the big release of artists in the 2020 festival, Mads Soundboks posted;

“Roskilde is out with their full program! Let me hear what you think. Rate the program from 1-5 stars, where 5 is the best. Also write what you are looking most forward to” (nr. 160) – it received 38 comments with members rating the programme.