Reading Corey’s post on the power of social communities in brand building, I began wondering about the nature of these communities and what we could learn from them.
Consumers have gathered from the beginning of consumption. Auto enthusiasts, quilting bees, and Tupperware parties are early examples of the impulse. Many consumer groups share an affiliation that is based upon enthusiasm and knowledge of a specific consumption activity.
In fact, academics and consultants have recognized these groups and dubbed them “consumer tribes” – a term borrowed from anthropology, describing groups of people who are brought together not around something rational, such as a job, but around deeper, more profound needs, such as kinship, passion, and identity.
While some brands are lucky enough to have consumers who bond around their brand (Harley Davidson and Apple come to mind), others have realized the potential of tapping into tribes of enthusiasts (rock climbers, skateboarders, cigar lovers, etc). The opportunity to learn from, and market to, these passionate consumers warrants attention.
Learning from Tribes: Communities of enthusiasts often have their own languages, symbols, and rituals. As tribes move activity online, netnography – the online practice of ethnography – offers a technique for learning from the tribe. As Robert Kovinets has written, netnography has many benefits: it is often cheaper, faster, more naturalistic and less obtrusive than focus groups, surveys, or interviews. It provides a wealth of grassroots information on the symbolism, meanings, and consumption patterns of consumer groups as they live their activities. However, netnography must be undertaken carefully to avoid angering community members who may not want brands or marketers present in their online communities.
Marketing to Tribes: According to Bernard Cova, the primary task of tribal marketing is to consider the product or service from the angle of linking value rather than its use value – in other words, how the product supports the tribe in its very being. Linking value is rarely intentionally embedded in the use value of the product/ service concept, but it merits careful attention. The greater the contribution of a product or service to the development and strengthening of the tribal bond, the greater its linking value will be. Understanding ritual is critical here as rituals are the expression of shared belief and social belonging. They provide marketers with opportunities to strengthen bonds among enthusiasts. One could argue that NIKE powerfully demonstrated this concept with the NIKE plus.
A brand that speaks deeply to a group’s core passion opens the door to powerful advocacy, word of mouth, and high levels of loyalty. However, important questions remain – namely, how to approach these communities, how and when to join online conversations, and whether to actively market to the community.
If you’re interested in consumer tribes or have a story to tell about how they interact with your brand, please let us know by emailing bkelly@executiveboard.com
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