The story of Polaroid Originals: How a community of instant film fans brought a global brand back to life

When Polaroid Originals launched in September 2017 it built on the groundwork of the Impossible Project: the project that set out to save instant film a decade earlier and built a community of die-hard analogue enthusiasts around it.

What followed is the story of re-inventing the most chemically complex man-made product on the planet. It took a lot of sweat and tears, research and development, user testing, feedback loops, transparency, honesty and trust — eventually turning into one of the most engaged and creative online communities supporting a brand like Polaroid Originals today.

Amy Heaton led their community for 3+ years. First shared at our first Community Leadership Summit in 2018, she explores the five steps that supported the Polaroid Originals community and encouraged it to thrive.

Her key learnings:

1. Humanise the brand
2. Listening in (to the good, the bad, and the ugly!)
3. Start a conversation
4. Establish trust with your leaders
5. Show your gratitude (and mean it!)

Read the full article

For an upcoming project on brand communities we're looking for brands that are built around strong values and participation. Send us your suggestions to hello@co-matter.com - we'll feature a bunch of them in next week's newsletter.

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Your friends at co-matter
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