28oi: сommunication theory

1. Introduction

2. Communication Channels

3. Theoretical Framework

4. Analysis

5. Conclusion & Recommendations

6. List of literature and sources of images

A niche business is not built on random customers — it is built on a community. The store «28oi» sells comics, figures, and collectible cards — products that people will not buy without interest and trust. For such a store to survive for 17 years and become the oldest in Russia, its audience must keep coming back and feeling that they are part of something of their own.

In this project, we analyze how «28oi» uses communication to create that sense of belonging.

The positioning of «28oi» rests on three elements:

1. The status of the oldest store — trust and a sense of reliability.
2. Staff knowledge — the employees understand comics and are ready to help those who know nothing about them.
3. Atmosphere — the store is designed as a geek space: graffiti, display cases with figures, bright colours.

Together, these create the image not simply of a retail outlet, but of a place that people want to return to.

The audience of «28oi» is the geek community. Collectors, regular customers, regional clients, people looking for unusual gifts, teenagers and adults — they are united not by age or income, but by an interest in geek culture that becomes part of their identity.

One can buy a comic anywhere. But through its communication, «28oi» offers a sense of belonging.

The store responds sensitively to trends. The popularity of anime brings manga and figures into the assortment. Blind boxes are trending — «28oi» offers them. Customers ask about something new — the store tries to bring it in. This is not just about following trends, but about listening to demand and adapting quickly. Responding to trends signals that the brand is part of the same cultural moment as its audience.

Thus, through its website, social media, and responsiveness to trends, «28oi» builds a communication strategy that not only informs and sells but also shortens distance and confirms that the brand lives in the same cultural space as its audience.

Why do people return to «28oi» for years? The answer lies not in prices or assortment, but in identity and needs. Two theories help explain this.

The first framework is Social Identity Theory (Tajfel & Turner, 1979). It explains how belonging to a group becomes part of a person’s identity. People divide the world into «us» and «them». Comic fans, collectors, and geeks want their group to look good, so they choose brands that support their identity. This lens fits «28oi» well because the store does not simply sell comics — it offers a sense of being «among your own».

The second framework is Uses and Gratifications Theory (Blumler & McQuail, 1969). It asks not what media do to people, but what people do with media. Applied to a brand, it focuses on the needs that the brand satisfies. For «28oi», these include the need to belong («I am among my own»), the need for uniqueness («I have something others don’t»), and the need for information and entertainment.

Together, these two lenses help us analyze how «28oi» builds a community, not just a customer base.

The store interior is the first thing a visitor sees: shelves packed with comics and figures, display cases with collectibles, pop culture references in the decoration. It looks like a classic comic shop — the kind fans imagine when they think of such a place. The website and social media follow the same visual style: bright colours, speech bubbles, comic aesthetics, pop‑art references.

The unity of the visual language works as a signal. Seeing this style, a person understands: this is a place for «us». Anyone who loves comics and geek culture feels a sense of belonging here.

Beyond visual style and language, «28oi» builds community through live events and exclusive products.

Autograph sessions are meetings with comic authors, artists, bloggers, voice actors, and game developers. The customer does not just buy a comic or a figure — they meet someone they know from the screen or from pages. This is live contact with «someone from our crowd».

Swap meets for figures and cards are regular gatherings where customers bring their own items and exchange them or simply talk with fellow collectors. The store does not earn money directly from this, but it provides a space where people communicate, get to know each other, and exchange contacts. Here, it is not the store talking to the customer, but customers talking to each other. Friendships form, people arrange new meetings, discuss collections. These are horizontal connections within the community.

Exclusive products such as blank covers by artists and rare merch that is not available anywhere else become markers. Owning such an item means: you are not just a fan, but an insider. You have something that not everyone has.

Autograph sessions, swap meets, and exclusive products transform the audience from passive observers into active community participants. Uses and Gratifications Theory explains: needs for unique experience, live communication, and information are fulfilled. Social Identity Theory adds: meeting an «insider», horizontal connections, and status markers strengthen the sense of belonging.

In their reviews, regular customers do not write about prices or assortment. They write: «8 years with you. Thank you for existing», «If you love comics, this is the first place you should go», «It’s easier to come here than to look for the comic you need in a shop near home». These are not reviews about service quality. They contain no evaluation of delivery, packaging, or value for money. These are public declarations of belonging. The person is not just saying «the store is good» — they are saying «I am one of you, I have been here a long time, I am part of this».

Reviews like these are a public expression of identity, not a report on transaction quality. Social Identity Theory explains this act of self‑presentation: a person openly declares their belonging to a group. Uses and Gratifications Theory adds: they receive validation and satisfy their need for recognition.

Three recommendations follow from this research.

First: open outlets in Moscow and other major cities. Regional customers write in their reviews that they travel to St. Petersburg specifically to visit the store. The demand already exists.

Second: bring video quality up to the level of post design. Posts are professionally designed, but videos remain amateurish — this lowers views. Faster editing and more attention to format are needed.

Third: create a mascot. The visual style is already recognisable. A mascot would give the community another clear symbol — for social media, posters, and memes.

These three steps allow growth without losing the brand’s face. «28oi» already has a community. Now it needs more places to meet, more reasons to be proud, and more symbols.