Sneakerhead brand community netnography: An exploratory research

Sneakerheads are individuals who collect and wear sneakers with great enthusiasm. Most of the sneakers that they covet are limited in quantity and worn by celebrities. Sneakerheads’ culture has not been scrutinized in academia, even though it is characterized by some unique behaviours (e.g., purchasing numerous pairs of sneakers, camping out to purchase newly released sneakers and violent incidents). This exploratory netnography research focuses on an online brand community of sneakerheads, Niketalk.com, and explores its members’ information-sharing behaviours and how these behaviours influence their purchase decision-making processes. Data from two Niketalk.com threads about retro sneaker were analysed. Three thematic categories pertinent to sneakerhead culture emerged from the qualitative data analysis. First, ‘release information’ delineates the key information that sneakerheads share online. Second, the heavy usage of ‘jargon and abbreviations’ reveals how sneakerheads interact with each other. Finally, ‘resemblance, rarity, and inequity’ explains what drives sneakerheads’ purchase decision-making, loyalty to their culture and withdrawal from it. The research suggests that sneakerheads need to be aware of the factors that can drive unnecessary impulse purchases, while sneaker brands need to diversify release channels and monitor brand communities to determine the optimal release amounts that can best benefit them. Furthermore, the brands are expected to control the spread of leaked and false information that can negatively impact anticipated product releases.