Branding, Bonding, and a Brand's Reputation: The Pottermore Case

Introduction

Today's competitive conditions make it hard to attract the attention of consumers and to encourage them to buy things. Consumers want to gain rational benefits and to be emotionally satisfied, as well. Today, brands use new methods apart from the traditional marketing methods in order to establish emotional bonds and manage reputation successfully. One of these methods is punk marketing. Punk marketing is defined as an innovative way of marketing which refuses the traditional ways and is based on the idea of adjustment to fast changes. A literary genre formed within the fantasy literature has now become an important part of the youth today and has led to brand loyalty.

Harry Potter as a worldwide brand, has gained a global audience and has successfully created brand loyalty. Its fan group, which is formed based on the fantasy literature and fantasy movie, has become loyal consumers and has turned a literary piece into one of the most renowned brands in the world. Articles have been written and reviews have been made on Harry Potter before. Cinematographic, theoretical, and consumption-based reviews have been made. The purpose of this study is to analyze the website in terms of the elements of punk marketing, customer bonding in digital environment, creation of brand loyalty and management of reputation management in digital environment.