9 new rules for community operation

The previous article discussed the six major rules for creating a "new community": "boundaries", "symbols", "growth", "stories", "evangelists" and "rituals". Today we will talk about the seventh rule - the "temple" rule.

Brand Ape once visited the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. It was sacred, magnificent and grand. One could almost imagine the centripetal force and cohesion when people performed certain rituals here.

Only then did I truly understand why religions like to build churches, temples, and mosques? Why do Christians go to church every week, and why do Muslims make a pilgrimage to Mecca once in their lifetime?

Only with the "temple" can the community form a place of belonging and spiritual peace, just like a naked ape returning from hunting, from a cave to a group, and finally to a tribe.

From another perspective, what kind of places are Yan'an to the War of Resistance, Buckingham Palace to the Commonwealth, and Disneyland to Disney?

Everyone who joins the community hopes to have a place, a place where they can find a base camp. In their view , the existence of a "temple" means that the community has legitimacy and power.

A "temple" is a place where a group of people with common values ​​hold community activities or ceremonies, and can find some kind of spiritual belonging or peace of mind here.

1. The three elements of the "Temple" Law: physical space + ritual + people

1. Physical space is the way the new community "temple" exists

In the early days, any community would hold various activities and ceremonies in offline spaces; later, with the development of the Internet and the evolution of social methods, more and more communities moved from offline to online; followed by online and cloud computing, the rise of the metaverse... It seems that online communities are the new form of new communities.

At the same time, an interesting phenomenon has emerged since the outbreak of the epidemic in 2019. On the one hand, various new business entities have actively moved online, digitalized, and virtualized; on the other hand, various offline physical spaces, experiences, and venues have emerged.

Similarly, with the growth of Generation Z and the prosperity of small interest businesses, physical space "temples" have begun to return and become one of the ways for new communities to exist.

San Dun Ban, an Internet coffee shop that started out as an e-commerce company, is constantly expanding its offline "temple" territory. It has not only worked with local boutique coffee shops to build Force recycling points, but also has its own "Force Flying Concept Store". It also continues to support the development of new "temple" scenes and pop-up markets: for example, the retro market with the "Silver Salt Space". Over the two days of the weekend, there is a market in the store during the day and a social dance party at night, using coffee to connect members with different lifestyles.

Luo Zhenyu has given an offline New Year's Eve speech titled "Friends of Time" for seven years, and Chaos Academy has two annual lectures every year. In addition to selling courses and marketing, what is more important is to create a "field", a "field" or "temple" for members to learn, as Professor Li Shanyou said.

Not to mention the offline gatherings that have been held for many years, such as the Apple press conference, Lululemon Sweat Festival, Xiaomi Mi Fan Festival, and NIO Day.

Why do they want to expand their online communities to offline physical spaces? Why should we gather together the originally scattered users? Why do we need to create various “new scenes”, “new venues” and “holy places”?

In addition to the orthodoxy and peace of mind mentioned at the beginning, the physical "temple" is of great significance to the new community:

• For new groups of people, the physical "temple" may become a "spiritual landmark" for specific groups of people.
• The physical "temple" can fix the brand and community temperament into a "perceptible" existence : present the brand in three dimensions, experience products/services/circles in multiple dimensions, gradually enhance close relationships and credit relationships, and "perceptible" and "experiential" are extremely attractive to new groups of people.
• I believe that only by being in the activities and rituals of physical space can you truly experience that extremely powerful "field" .
• The physical "temple" provides a place and scene for communication and interaction between brands, communities and members. Humans are social animals, and this is true for any generation. Only when they meet in person can they become more united . The cohesion of a community that is always online will gradually dissipate.

Therefore, from online Tieba forums and WeChat groups to offline physical spaces, inviting members to meet with other members, learn from each other, share stories, and participate in rituals is crucial for new communities.

2. A place with “rituals” or “meaning” is considered a “temple”

People can get married anywhere, but only a church, lawn, beach, hometown... that is meaningful to them can be considered a "temple".

In other words, not every physical space can be called a "temple". Only spaces where members gather and hold ceremonies, or spaces that are given meaning, can be called "temples".

• It can be a fixed place that members far away are eager to visit: such as Steve Jobs' garage, Coca-Cola's Atlanta museum, and Starbucks' first store in Seattle.
• You can also give a temporary space some kind of meaning and turn it into a place with a temple: Lululemon's Bryant Park in Manhattan, the Sweat Festival at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, etc. These places become "temples" because they are meaningful.
• The "temple" can also be an abnormal social space that breaks boundaries, including parks, urban ruins, suburban wilderness, and the seaside for "sea hopping". For example, the "Xuanzang Road Business School Gobi Challenge" has been held for 16 years.

"Temple" can be said to be everywhere; even if a community does not have a formal temple, informal temples can be created. The choice is ours.

3. Space becomes more sacred when meaningful people participate

People who are important to the ceremony are also indispensable to the "Temple". Their arrival will make the space more sacred.

The Pope who crowns the king, the Chief Justice who swears in the president, the general who awards medals to the soldiers, the guard of honor who welcomes the ashes of the martyrs back...

The book club invites the author of the original book, the yoga class invites a KOL, and even the partners who grew up together at the coming-of-age ceremony...

With the right location and meaningful people, the effect of the "Temple" will be very different.

2. Four new forms of "temples" in the new business ecosystem

In the continuously evolving new business, under the "folkization" of new aesthetics, "temples" are merging with new consumption to create a new context. In a low dimension, it is called "Internet celebrity check-in", and in a high dimension, it is - "spiritual landmark".

It is important to note that the current Generation Z, members of communities that gather in small interest circles and on the cloud, are no longer believers in the "temple" who are content to sit down and listen to the Pope's speech, but hope to stand in the spotlight and become the new bishops.

This has led to the emergence of four new forms of the new community "Temple" ecology: holy land "Temple", branch "Temple", temporary "Temple" and online "Temple".

1. Create a unique "temple" holy place

Every believer has a place he or she wants to visit in his or her lifetime, such as Mecca, the Potala Palace, and the Western Wall. These are holy places called "temples."

As a Disney fan, would you like to go to the world's largest Orlando Disneyland when you arrive in the United States? If Starbucks fans go to Shanghai, do they have to go to the roasting factory to meet the coffee masters face to face? If you are a bookstore lover traveling in Japan, why not visit Tsutaya Books Daikanyama Store?

These can all be the "temples" of the community: either the largest flagship experience store, or have a unique temperament, or provide a unique experience, and the most important thing is "uniqueness".

A holy place "Temple" is not necessarily a grand space, but it must be a fixed place with a unique story and meaning .

It could be a boat in Nanhu Lake; perhaps it is the first Starbucks store, "13 Invitations Bistro", 84 Charles Cross Street; or it could be a road in the desert in "Retracing the Journey of Xuanzang".

At this point, what is important is not the "Temple" itself, but the journey to reach the "Temple".

A mature community is best to have a "temple" holy place, which means it can be found at any time and any place, and it also means having a source of stories and a spiritual landmark where people can find the power of belief.

2. Localize the branch temple

I once saw a movie called "Fight Club", in which a group of people from the bottom of society gathered together to fight each other every day and became a powerful and united national community. Where is their temple?

The basement of every city is their branch "Temple".

Almost all global/national communities will create branch communities in various places, separated by personal charm, interests, or regions. These branch communities allow smaller groups to get to know each other better, hold ceremonies in their own style, and distinguish themselves from the larger community according to their own characteristics.

These branch communities require some differentiated venues/scenarios as branch temples, which we call the “localization” of branch “temples” .

The "localization" of the "Temple" branch has three new directions for exploration.

First, the “localization” of scenes and experiences.

In the new business atmosphere, the "localization" of branch "temples" requires amplifying their individuality and presenting regional culture or exclusivity within the space. In simple terms, the scenes and experiences of different spaces need to be "localized."

Take the highway store "a must-go pharmacy at night" as an example. It is a youth subculture platform that aggregates content. It is niche and unique, with ideas, products, publications, activities, and division of labor. It is not an exaggeration to regard it as a community. Their branch "temples" in various places are full of "localization".

The first offline store in Beijing's Sanlitun, the "Highway Store Convenience Store", has pinball machines on the first floor for customers to play, and imported beer and foreign liquor on the second floor. This can be seen as a "temple" or "holy place". Every member who arrives in Beijing will go there to make a pilgrimage, have a drink and chat.

The branch "temples" in other cities are different: Shanghai is known for its 20-square-meter curbside seating where people can drink and chat; Guangzhou has a 39-yuan booth with fun, and hired photographers to take pictures of guests for free; Hangzhou has played with the "aviation" theme.

Another classic example of a non-community but "localized" scene. HEYTEA’s one city, one scene and CHEA VISION’s one theme, one store: from product innovation, content creation, store space to the integration of the local environment and atmosphere, “localization” is the core.

For the new generation who are used to copy-pasting standard chain event spaces, "localization" can bring more intimacy and sense of integration to the community and become another small sanctuary.

Second, “localization” of content and efficiency.

Apple Experience Stores organize different themed activities for different groups of people, such as photography, programming, parent-child activities, and even business activities; Lululemon launches different sports courses in different stores; and Fan Deng shares different books at reading clubs in various cities based on the readers' choices.

This is the initial “localization” of content.

Going further, "localization" needs to be integrated with localization efficiency and mobile Internet.

The community of Tangdou Square Dance APP starts with dance learning tools and focuses on solving the pain points of various branch communities. Members find nearby dance teams through the APP and create their own dance videos using dubbing backgrounds. The goal is to become a leader of 100 nearby teams, or a member of the 5,000 square dance enthusiasts, and eventually become a localized circle community of "connecting friends through dance."

With this in mind, the importance of localizing content and efficiency is self-evident; otherwise, it would just be an event in a chain store.

Third, “localization” is closely related to excellent regional “missionaries”.

Every localized temple needs an excellent missionary - a "local" leader.

They are Lululemon’s “store educators”, Lego AFOLs (Lego certified players), Weilai’s super users, Fan Deng’s helmsman, Starbucks’ coffee masters, business curators, square dance leaders… Without them, the temple of “localization” would have no soul .

The "localization" of the branch "Temple" is like a place where the new community value is realized, where mobile Internet empowerment, group wisdom, circle relationships, and community values ​​are connected and opened up, and activated and amplified.

3. Temporary “Temple” – Redefining the Pop-up Store

You can temporarily choose any space and give it a sacred meaning, which is a temporary "temple".

By analogy, if a pop-up store or pop-up event is given a certain meaning/value, it will also be a "temple" rather than just a check-in point for internet celebrities, a gimmick for dissemination and a label for sharing.

Here, members can communicate with each other, hold simple ceremonies, form community codes, and become short-term community centers; they can also interact with brands to experience services, test new products, and provide feedback, making the community active and more cohesive.

As early as 2015, various DTC brands in Europe and the United States have turned pop-up stores into "temples".

• Mattress disruptor Casper is incredibly imaginative. Casper brought mattresses out of the bedroom and into life scenarios such as the road, restaurants, bars, and outdoor activities. It also formed communities based on these activities, allowing people to actively participate, interact, and discuss. For example, they held a party on a boat, where members could drink champagne and enjoy the scenery of New York Harbor; then, they converted a large truck into a "mobile sleeping box" and started a 120-day road trip across the United States, inviting passing members to lie in the sleeping compartment of the mobile truck and experience a new sleeping experience.
• Dirty Lemon, a beverage company known as "Netflix + Coca-Cola", set up a temporary "temple" as a bar open only to super members. The bartenders will make a variety of products for super members to choose from, and they can also add alcohol or various flavors according to their preferences.

Today in China, temporary "temples" are thriving along with small hobby businesses, not just traditional pop-ups.

• ZUCZUG is a multi-brand platform for a new lifestyle. Its "in the PARK" integrates "fashion retail, art exhibitions, and social activities". In the past year, 11 limited-time events were held in Shanghai.
• The Beiping Machine Pancake Festival of Beiping Machine (a craft beer brand); Dewu, which "integrates authentic trendy e-commerce and trendy lifestyle community"; MARS, a cooler next-generation urban trendy lifestyle community; the motorcycle lifestyle brand "Excellent Driving"; Gogogo Outdoor Life Club..., are using their imagination and creativity to open up new life experiences for community members.

These explorations and efforts truly return to the original meaning of community.

When you redefine the pop-up store and inject meaning and sociality into it, then every pop-up store will be a pilgrimage to the "temple", a journey of homecoming, and a journey of connection for members; it will also be the source, testing ground, and hot spot for new businesses and new communities; it will even rebuild the daily lives and design methods for members.

4. Online + time can also become a "temple"

Once members know that they have found their community in a certain place and can perform rituals that are meaningful and significant to them, this place is a "temple."

The same sentence structure can be used online. Members know that a significant ceremony meaningful to them will be held at a certain time, and any scene can be called a "temple."

Therefore, the WeChat group is not a temple, and the live broadcast room is not a temple, but at a certain time, being able to participate in the same ceremony can become a "temple."

The deeper value is that it will become the most important infrastructure for building the "Temple".

At 8 pm on April 15, 2022, Cui Jian's first online concert was launched on WeChat Video Account. After 3 hours of broadcast, the number of viewers exceeded 43 million and the number of likes exceeded 100 million. This is the miracle of the online "Temple".

It is conceivable that tomorrow, under the digital lifestyle, in the era of the metaverse, with the blessing of VI technology, the vitality of the virtual "temple" will be accelerated - the community can create any imaginable temple, whether it is the deep sea, the desert, Mars, or in history and the future...

3. Finally, build a “Temple” for your new community

When you understand the value of the "Temple" to its members - "forming a sense of belonging and settling the soul"; when you understand the value of the "Temple" to the community - "the source of legitimacy and power.

When you have a new understanding of the meaning of the "Temple" to the "new community" and the new generation - "spiritual landmark, experience site and base".

At this point, the "Temple" is no longer a place, a space, a terminal, or a venue; it is a door, a journey, a new connection, a new experience, a new power...

In the new business ecology, it is inevitable to re-understand the "Temple" and create a "Temple" for your new community, whether you are an organization, an APP, a small interest business, a circle community, or a new consumer brand.