How to optimize your relationship with the subcultures surrounding your brands

Dear bloggers - my friend and I are doing our master thesis at the moment. It's about the relationship between brands and subcultures surrounding it. Within a week from now we will publish our thoughts and present a totally new way of thinking for companies around the world. A new logic to succeed differentiating your propositions. Please return and comment on our perspectives. If you are a marketing or ad specialist with experience on this matter, we would very much appreciate your comments and elaborating views!

For the time being we would appreciate your comments re these questions:

1) Do you think that branding is becomming generic? (everybody is doing the same today)

2) Do you agree that the relationship between the brandowner and the consumers is the best way to differentiate and create true loyalty today?

3) Do you agree that this interaction is best perfomed by identifying the subcultures surrounding the brand?

4) Do you think it's possible to establish a win-win situation based on a company's relationship with their brands subcultures? (normally subcultures create their own brand meaning within the subculture and don't want any interference by a commercial company, some would say that a subculture isn't a subculture if it's supported by the brand)


Thanks in advance, Casper & Christian