For 20 years, Launch Something has helped franchises, nonprofits, and growing businesses build brands people recognize - and marketing systems that actually perform.
Now we’re expanding our service offering to include something we’ve been building toward for years: Community design - as an extension of brand.
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Think of it the same way websites elevated how customers found and trusted brands. Then social media elevated how customers interacted with brands. Community is the next evolution - a space where people don’t just follow or consume, they participate, connect, and build momentum together.
This isn’t “one more place to post.” It’s a modern way to deepen engagement and loyalty in a way that doesn’t disappear when algorithms shift.
McKinsey has called community the “big idea” in 2020s marketing, highlighting how brands can earn engagement and loyalty by participating in digital communities. And Harvard Business Review has argued that true brand affinity increasingly comes from a sense of community and membership, not transactional rewards.
That’s the direction we’re leaning into - because it’s where modern engagement is heading.
WHAT WE MEAN BY COMMUNITY DESIGN
Community design is the strategy and structure behind:
how people join and get oriented
why they show up - and keep showing up
what makes participation feel natural, not forced
how education, communication, and belonging work together
how shared goals create momentum
The simplest way to describe it:
Content can inform people. Community can move people.
When you combine meaningful connection with a shared journey - a “quest” toward a common goal - you create something durable. Something sticky. Something people want to be part of.
Proof This Works (and We’ve Done It)
We don’t just talk about connection - we’ve built it into brands and initiatives for years:
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Power Up Spartanburg
We created the brand and built The Power Grid (Mighty Networks) to turn a county-wide initiative into a connected community with real participation.
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Denny’s
We built engagement programs that bring franchisees and teams together at scale - including Denny’s Together, Go Beyond (a team-favorite 30-day shared journey), and Share the Love.
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OmniSource
We led the strategic plan and lean rollout, creating a shared language and employee-led momentum around company priorities.
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SmileMakers
We wrote a brand manifesto that captured the “why” people belong, giving the culture clarity and the brand a center of gravity.
Different industries, same throughline:
Connection + a shared mission + a clear rhythm = engagement that lasts.
WHAT COMMUNITY DESIGN CAN UNLOCK FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION
If you have a network of people who share identity, purpose, or goals, community design can become one of your strongest engagement and loyalty levers.
Here are a few high-impact applications:
1) Education
Create a space where students, families, faculty, and alumni don’t just receive announcements - they connect, mentor, share opportunities, and stay anchored to the institution’s mission.
2) Franchises and distributed teams
Connect owners, operators, and teams across markets to strengthen alignment, accelerate training, reinforce culture, and create peer-to-peer problem solving (the kind you can’t get from a handbook).
3) Corporate teams and internal initiatives
Build community around recruitment, onboarding, training and development, mentorship, innovation, and “change initiatives” so people are participating in the mission - not just hearing about it.
4) Chambers, associations, and membership organizations
Turn passive rosters into active communities where members show up year-round, build relationships, and experience clear value (which supports retention, sponsorships, and programming).
5) Customer communities
Build ecosystems where customers become advocates - because they feel part of something, not because they were offered points.
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If you’re reading this thinking, “We already have the people - we just can’t get engagement,” community design is often the missing piece.
WHAT’S NEW AT LAUNCH SOMETHING
We are formally expanding our offering to include:
How We Build Community for Brands
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Community design isn’t
separate from brand work,
it’s the next evolution of it.
We build branded community experiences where people don’t just receive information - they connect, participate, and move forward together. That includes:
DEFINING the community’s purpose, audience, and promise
DESIGNING the experience: onboarding, structure, roles, and engagement rhythm
BUILDING the system: spaces, resources, events, prompts, and pathways
LAUNCHING and driving participation with programming and campaigns
MEASURING what’s working and continuously improving engagement and retention
CONNECTING community to outcomes like training adoption, culture, loyalty, and advocacy
We can lead strategy, build the structure, and manage activation - depending on your goals and internal capacity.
(And while platform is not the point, it’s worth noting: we are certified Mighty Networks certified experts, and we can help clients choose the right approach based on goals, audience, and resources.)
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A CASE STUDY WE CONTROL
We also built a community of our own: Lift Off
Why build it ourselves?
Because it gives us a sandbox we control - a space where we can test, iterate, refine, and prove what drives real participation (not just sign-ups). Lift Off is both a passion project and a living case study that makes us sharper for the organizations we serve.
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FOLLOW ALONG - OR JUMP IN
If you want to track what we’re learning (and what community design can unlock), you’re invited:
Subscribe to Strategy Drops (free emails with practical strategy you can use)
Try Lift Off with a free Core trial - for you or any female founder you’d love to support (share the link freely)