Build Brands that Attract Many
By Levina Kusumadjaja
“Human beings can’t help it: we need to belong.” - Seth Godin
I work in an office with a group of people who are tech geeks— or should I say, Apple geeks. They would pull up all-nighters to watch Apple’s product launches. When a new iMac came in the other day, they all gathered in one room with their phones ready to document what they called as “a historical unboxing event”. They believe in Apple products so much that in my job interview, one of the questions asked was “Is your laptop a Mac?”. When I asked them why they just expressed that they wanted to welcome more people into their tiny Apple community.
This is what a tribe looks like.
A tribe is a group of a brand’s super fans. It’s not just a group of any people. Don’t confuse a community with a tribe. You can be in a community that shares different worldview. For example, you can be friends with vegans but it doesn’t always mean you’re a vegan. And that’s okay too. However, when we talk about tribes, we are talking about the people within that community that share a certain belief or worldview. We are talking about a specific thing that this group is so passionate about. In the context of brands, what tribes are passionate about is the brand itself.
Tribes are powerful because tribes provide the customer a place of belonging for being a part of the brand.
Everyone wants to feel like they belong, that’s why tribes are powerful. A person believing in a brand is great and this person will most likely help tell everybody about the brand. But if you can build a tribe, this campaign will be even more impactful. One person loving a brand will spark curiosity, but a big group of people loving a brand will challenge the status quo.
Humans in general want to be a part of what everyone else is doing. While it’s true that people say they want to be different, but belonging and acceptance are basic things that humans look for. What happens with a tribe is they provide customers with that sense of belonging. It doesn’t make customers look weird to love a brand but gives them validation because they see so many people believing in the same thing they do.
Tribes multiply the effect of a super fan for a brand.
It’s no wonder that over the years, marketers, creatives, business strategists, and brand strategists talk about tribes a lot. The effort and strategy used to connect with tribes remain the same, because at the core the goal is still to connect with the super fan. Tribes are worthy of a brand’s attention because without changing strategy and with the same level of effort, the effect of a super fan can be multiplied through tribes.
Cheers!
Levina
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About the author:
Levina is a writer based in Indonesia. Because of Melinda Livsey, she recognized the power of brand strategy for every creative. She is sharing about her learnings as she goes to help creatives have fun in their growth and journey of building brands. Connect with her on LinkedIn and say hi!