Tribes and the Product Life Cycle

The product life cycle (PLC) is a familiar model in marketing and is used to describe the life of a product category. It is a model which can be helpful to understand where a product is now, where it is headed, and what to do about it. That being said, keep in mind that it is just a model and some product categories follow their own cycles.

Most applications of the PLC focus on individuals, but this is discusses it's relevancy for tribes.

Introduction stage

The introduction stage is often focused on one product with limited places of distribution. Competition is often low, but the product suffers from low awareness. Tribes are ideal for product launch, because they run along the outskirts of mainstream culture looking for ways to stand out and feel special.

Learn as much as you can about the tribes you want to support, so that you can natively support their culture. Having a product that can deliver great features is nice, but don't forget to consider your product as a cultural object that can be used to build identity, embody stories, and support rituals. Involve tribal members in your product development program, and listen carefully to their feedback. Consider the tribes you support an extension of your organization. Give them the tools and help they need to act as ambassadors for your product.

Growth stage

The growth stage usually has more competition, and product versions. This naturally leads to more outlets and a race for market share. Tribes that were supported or built during the introduction stage act as advocates for your brand, adding to it's authenticity. If your product is a high engagement brand the tribe can help to lower perceived risk and educate newcomers. Keep in mind that you might be walking a tightrope with your tribes as your customer base grows. If the tribes grow too fast or their culture becomes too commercialized they may rebel.

Maturity stage

The maturity phase usually has even more competition, and full product lines. The price is shifted towards defending market share, and making profit. As low engagement strategies become harder to defend, and easier to copy-cat, thinking about supporting tribes can be a doorway into building a higher engagement brand.

Does your product have a brand community? A brand community is a tribe that gathers around your brand. In that case it is increasingly important to give your brand community special attention that sets them apart, such as VIP treatment, collectors items, and special events.

Decline stage

The decline stage usually implies less of everything. The focus is on maintaining profitability. Common strategies during this phase is to find new uses for your product and new consumers to market to. That should imply new tribes. As your product is in mainstream decline it is becoming increasingly interesting material for tribes. This may open up for tribal re-appropriation of both use and meaning, such as is the case with the rebuilding of retro cars or computers.

I promise more practical examples in upcoming blog posts. For now, I would like to know if you have any questions, or additions?

Your brand is a bridge

 
Why your brand is a bridge
People buy things to bring about change in their lives. They want to get to a better place. Functional solutions are often taken for granted, and the holy grail of our time is identity transformation. This makes sense in a time when people use brands as raw materials to construct their own identity. What this essentially means is that we no longer simply buy things to live as liberated individuals, but to express who we are and belong to others.

Your brand is a bridge, because it helps your customers get to a better place. The gap you are bridging across can be described as identity burdens. This can be understood against the backdrop of collective anxiety, historical changes or tensions in society. The brands which provide meaningful bridges across these challenges have the potential to gain mythic proportions.

How people cross your bridge
People cross your bridge when they interact with your brand. For example when they visit your website, use your services, don your jeans, or sip your soda. On a deeper level they are transforming who they are. Identity transformation is achieved through stories and rituals. When they buy your product they are taking part in a powerful ritual of consumption charged with meanings. When they down your soda they are invoking your story. The ritual itself re-enacts a story that can potentially transform their lives. In this sense consumption is existential, it is about who they are – or more correctly who they become.

Why people cross your bridge
People cross your bridge with the help of others, and to join other people. Identity can be understood on many levels, such as individual, tribal and nationalistic. However the face-to-face level is the most important in the new world of tribalism. Your bridge can be a ticket into communities and tribes. Essentially when people buy and use your brand they can become a part of a tribe.

A bridge example
For example, when I train on a Powerplate I become a part of a smart and healthy tribe, that is consciously time effective (it takes 15 minutes). When I use the product I take part in a powerful ritual that transforms me to a healthier and more effective person. When I train I tap into stories related to NASA, and elite sportsmen. I cross the Powerplate bridge every time I use and share stories about their product.

Crossing the bridge yourself
Thinking of your brand as a bridge will liberate you from the introvert perspectives of “brand personality”, and “brand associations”. It places an emphasis on your customers, their journey and how they use your brand. You see... it's not really about you! (Sorry for being so blunt.) People will build stronger relationships to your brand, if you help them build stronger relationships to people they want to be with (e.g. tribes).

Bridge related questions
What is your brand as a bridge?Where does that bridge lead to? Where does that bridge lead from? What tribes does your brand link people to? What rituals does your brand support? What is the story of your brand?

Tribes Slidecast (6 min Audio)

This is an adaptation of a presentation that I held at the Next Event in Stockholm in October 2009. The presentation is about tribes, identity and community, how that affects your brands and offers a new way to define and reach your customers. It contains the essence of this blog, and many items which will be explored further in future blog posts. Enjoy! Feedback welcome.

Photos jronnestam | Flickr.com

Tribes Slidecast (Audio 6 min)

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Not so Innocent?

Three college guys bought a crate of fruit for £500 and started selling smoothies at a London festival, asking “should we quit our jobs?”. The answer became “YES”, and nine months later they sold their first drinks through their local café. They sold 24 drinks that day, but now – 10 years later – they sell two million drinks in one week.

How did they do it? They successfully built a brand community around their product, and gave their customers something to believe in. They named their smoothie Innocent, because it was natural, healthy and responsible. Being local and privately owned, Innocent played the role of David versus Goliath. They set out to explore sustainable capitalism by donating 10 percent of all profits to charity. Once a year they invite their tribe to Fruit Towers to hang out, try new drinks and eat lot's of cake.

In May 2009 Coca Cola purchased a share of Innocent for £30m. Coca Cola did not only purchase corporate responsibility, but also... a tribe with strong identity, stories and rituals. Now the ritual of sipping an Innocent, will never be the same again. The story of David and Goliath has been altered, and lost it's potency. The powerful identity of the Innocent tribe has been shattered.

To put it short – Coca Cola brings to Innocent everything which it is not. In the realm of the Innocent story, the enemy has invaded.

Innocent's yearly pow-wow “The innocent AGM (A grown-up meeting)” devoted a lot of energy to responding to hard-pressed questions about Coca Cola. Customers shared their disappointment on the Innocent blog, and Twitter. Facebook groups sprouted in protest such as Innocent Smoothies - give back Coca-Cola's dirty money, (Reluctantly) Boycott Innocent Smoothies!, Get Coke out of Innocent Smoothies, Shame on 'Innocent' for selling out to Coca Cola. 

This is what some of their (former) fans are saying:

Mike: "Disgrace but not surprising, you have sold your soul. Thats the last time we buy your products."

Steve: "have you read your Facebok page - its packed full of scrummy yummy customers telling you they feel betrayed."

Michael Boamah: "Coke's entry = the end of the fairytale.NOW welcome in the business world.what a shame"

Coca Cola and Innocent are walking a tight-rope in this tribal identity crisis. The stories and rituals have lost some of their meaning. It is evident that the owners of Innocent ditched their tribal devotees which once helped them become successful.

Innocent supports many tribes ranging from knitting, to ecology, and health. But... can Innocent reliably support these tribes under the wing of Coca Cola? Does the Innocent and Coca Cola story mix?

Was this a smart move by Innocent? How will this play out? Are there any risks involved? What do you think?

Response to Erik

Erik posted some excellent questions in response to my post: Tribal quest for authenticity. They were so good that I decided to reply to them in a separate blog post.

Erik: I enjoy the analogy, but how is this different than the Izod preppy trend of the late 70's, or the gothic fashion movement.

Tribes are more liquid than subcultures. In a subculture identity is unified and fixed. It is seen as static, as members permanently carry one mask. However nowaday people belong to many tribes, and move effortlessly between them. They switch masks, as they assume temporary roles and identities.

Erik: How do you identify tribal leaders?

You can identify tribal leaders through research. Tribal roles can be identified as members, participants, practitioners and sympathisers. You need to understand what motivates each of these groups, and how, when and where they interact with the tribe. Influencing leaders - viral marketing - is far from the only way to support a tribe. (It can be down-right dangerous to "only" operate on the fad-cycle which lasts at best 1-2 years.)

Erik: Are iPhone users a single tribe? I would say they cross a wide spectrum. How would you identify tribal overlaps?

Let's not forget that the concept of tribes help us define a group of people that share a common passion or strong emotion. In reality the boundaries are fluid, and not that evident. Tribes naturally consist of smaller groups of people, which in turn consist of smaller groups of people (sub-tribes).

What is important is that the definition of your tribe is meaningful, and share a set of characteristics. Muniz & O'Guinn characteristics for brand communities are helpful: consciousness of kind, evidence of rituals and traditions, and a sense of obligation to the community and its members.

Erik: What do Doctors and convenience clerks have in common when they both drive a Honda?

Exactly. Their passion for Honda is the common denominator. Not necessarily traditional markers such as age, sex, nationality, and job. These markers are becoming less important as tribes to a larger extent shape our identity.

Erik: The new means of social networking has created new possibilities. Are there any practical ways to manipulate these mediums?

People are people even in social mediums. But in order to understand people we need to need stop treating people as isolated individuals. People share things in social mediums which they find "meaningful". Meaningful needs to be understood in a social context. That is why this is not only "a new way to describe marketing". It is a new way of doing marketing that acknowledges that consumption is driven, not only by individuals, but by groups. Old school marketing leans heavily on psychology, which has a lot to say about the individual. To better understand groups we also need to season our plates with anthropology, sociology and ethnography.

To sum up the largest difference I would say a switch in focus from company/customer relationships to customer/customer relationships.

Yet again, thanks Erik for providing these questions which cut-to-the-chase.

The consumers are dead! Long live the multipliers!

 

Consumers

The term "consumer" is a relic from an era of marketing that places an emphasis on the destruction of value. The consumer is viewed as a passive participant in a process orchestrated by the company. On an extreme the consumer can be seen as an information processor, or machine, that decodes messages as designed by the company and then acts as programmed.

Prosumers

In reality people are not passive marionettes, but actively participants in the co-authorship of a brand. They use brands like raw materials to shape meaning and identity. They also co-produce a lot of content, making it increasingly accessible through new technology, thus rightfully owning the title of 'prosumers'. (A merging of the words professional, producer and consumer.)

Multipliers

I'm particularly fond of the word 'multipliers' which Grant McCracken shared on his blog in 2005. It describes how people add to, and re-shape, the meanings of brands, as well as multiply their value. If nobody cares about your brand, it's not worth anything. On the other end - the more positive engagement your brand creates, the more it accelerates.

Multipliers can help to prolong the long tail, if companies invite them to participate on their websites. Keep in mind that in the end it's the customer experience that matters. Companies exist to support customers, and not the other way around.

The consumers are dead! Long live the multipliers!

Tribal quest for authenticity

 

Consumption is existential

Consumption is complicated. It is existential. People do not only consume to live, but to exist. They consume the meanings and images of brands, rather than the objects themselves. Most of the time the functionality of an object is taken for granted. The meanings and images that people consume are used to produce a wide range of identities which can link them to others. That is why people value brands for their linking ability.

Authenticity is very important to people, but perhaps not in the way we might expect. Most of the time it is not about the material, or uniqueness of an object. After all people purchase degraded copies all the time. What is more important is the authenticity of social links. Consumption is about being linked to a certain group of people, that a person wants to identify with. 'Being real' with a group, is more important than the 'real deal' of an object.

Consumption is chaotic

Consumption is complicated. It is like a dance of polarities. At one time people tag along for the ride, and in the next they go renegade. For a while they play out their scripted parts on a commercial stage. They are aware that they are being manipulated, decide to what extent they want to be, and in the end they manipulate too. Consumption is played out within the confines of a stage which no one truly controls!

For example companies exercise very little control over how their brands spread and accumulate new meaning. Brands circulate like stories, in a wide range of contexts, and gain new meaning in each re-telling. When people start blending a brand into their life, they add their own dreams, goals, ideals, and meanings. By adding a little piece of themselves to a brand, people de-commercialize it and add authenticity.

Consumption is social

Consumption is complicated. It is social. People do not consume to exist on their own, but to belong. In the wake of individualism people are re-digging their roots and building community through tribes.

Tribes are not driven by rational ideas, or commercial interests, but strong passions and emotions. People are rarely passionate about being monetized, and the inertia within a tribe is not monetary capital, but tribal capital. They do things to build identity, 'be in the know', or more trivially 'be in'.

Tribes thrive along the outskirts of mainstream culture, producing their own cultural material, rituals, identities and meanings. They also partake in a dance of polarities, as they both resist and play with the market. They are artists, entrepreneurs, hijackers and plunderers – all at the same time. They pride themselves in their diverseness, but can also enjoy the attention they get from mass market and media. This exchange provides a fragrance of legitimacy and confirmation.

Tribes offer a powerful retreat to a primitive past, where humans banded in small groups, with tight bonds, and shared peace with one another, nature and their true selves. An ideal vision of the past when  people were free to express themselves unburdened by various constraints. A tribe is, for it's members, a vehicle for authentic identities, community, and expression.

Concluding thoughts

Tribes do not want to be approached by the protocols of mass communication. Their very existence is based on being a special group on the fringe of mainstream society. They can be uneasy of commercial involvement, because they are driven by other interests. At the same time they may enjoy the legitimacy and confirmation that a commercial actor can bring.

A company can never be as authentic as a tribe, but a company can signal openness. This calls for co-operation, and support rather than exploitation. Companies should keep in mind that if a tribe can help communicate their message, it will always be more authentic. Empowering tribal leaders in this endeavor can be a powerful strategy. To be successful companies need to understand how tribes work, and what they value. This implies myths, rituals, traditions, roles, codes, and ideals. In a time when people are becoming increasingly weary of classic advertising, and on the hunt for authenticity, tribes can be a company's best friend.

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References
Cova, Kozinets, Shankar (2007), Consumer Tribes, Elsevier
Carú, Cova (2007). Consuming Experience, Routledge

The Twittbrowser

 

Tribaling has released a graphical browser for Twitter, known as the Twittbrowser. The Twittbrowser allows you to browse Twitter networks and discover new people to follow. We hope to collaborate with third party developers to enhance the Twittbrowser with advanced user statistics.

The Twittbrowser is an example of the possibility to create branded Twitter services, as well as new Twitter experiences. Your feedback and ideas are welcome.

http://www.twittbrowser.com/

Are you new to Twitter? Twitter is a rapidly growing micro-blogging service, read more on Wikipedia.

Why your company should care about tribes, and tips on getting started

 

Why tribes matter

Our society and culture has changed – big time. People have rebelled against collective ideals, as given by institutions, and cultural authorities. They have become more individualistic, zealously pursuing freedom in all aspects of life. They now enjoy the possibility of many choices with minimal constraints. Companies have long catered to these needs by offering products which help people to become freer, such as the possibility to shop online from the comfort of one's own home.

On one hand we see social erosion and extreme individualism. On the other people are embarking on a reverse movement to re-compose their social universe. They are digging new roots through tribes, which share a common passion, such as Italian cooking, snowboarding, World of Warcraft, or U2.

Tribes have become the major component in the construction of identity, as they are more important than jobs, social class, age and sex. What this means is that a 24 year old Swede, that loves skiing can have more in common, and feel a greater connection, with his tribal friends in Seattle and Auckland, than his similarly aged neighbors and colleagues.

As tribes are redefining who people are, they should also do the same for companies and organizations. After all tribes are changing the way people value and consume brands. Through the lens of individualism it makes sense that brands are valued for their ability to make people freer. However through the lens of tribes we understand that brands are valued for their linking ability. (See movie about re-defining of the company.)

How companies can go tribal

Many companies and marketers are not built for tribal society. Their visions, goals and methods stem from a time that pre-dates tribes. They are lopsidedly clinging to theory that leans heavily on psychology, which has very little to say about social groups. Other examples are the lack of qualitative research, and a strategy built around segmentation.

Here is a list that can inspire your company to to start adopting a tribal strategy:

1.Research. How can we learn about tribes, what they are, and how they function? You should consider qualitative methods, and expertise in sociology, anthropology and ethnography.

2.Defining your business. Why does your company exist? How are you helping your customers connect?

3.Defining your brand. What is the linking value of your brand? How can it be used as a cultural resource to construct meaning and identity?

4.Defining your audience. (note: target group may convey the wrong idea, as we do not only want to target, but engage in dialogue/participation.) Which tribes do you want to support? Do you want to support the creation of new tribes?

5.Defining your message. What do you have to say, and how do you want to say it – to the various roles of a tribe, including it's supporters?

6.Media. Consider the pros and cons of purchased and earned media. How are you going to reach your tribes (traditional segmentation may not help or be ineffective)?

7.Defining your actions. How will you listen, learn and engage with tribes?

Good luck with your tribaling!

Brands are raw materials

 

The prelude
I believe it's fair to say that companies and marketers are more interested in the way their brands are impacting consumers, than the other way around. This is not surprising in any way, considering that this has been the dominating focal point for brand literature. The question is, to what extant do consumers impact a brand, if at all? Why should companies care?

Battle for the mind
In traditional marketing the company designs a brand identity, much akin to a personality, which is transmitted to consumers. This often involves advertising, but also stresses the point of consistency in all aspects. A successful result of this endeavor is a brand image in the mind of consumers, which closely mirrors the personality of the brand. In this school of thought consumers are passive drones, which can be programmed through a battle for the mind.

Consuming brands
Consumer culture theory raises the question: Is it really that simple? Consumers appear to be more active, resistant and participatory in their consumption. They are not driven by rational decisions, but by deeper meaning. They no longer consume to live, but to exist. This shifts the aim of consumption from basic needs to identity. Consumption becomes an existential quest, leading to the production of meaning, and ultimately identity. On the small scale a purchase may be considered a minor step, but the grander picture may be a crossing, upon a path, upon a journey, finally leading to the construction of a pyramid!

Where work earlier played a major role in the shaping of identity, consumption has taken the lead. Consumers now flock to the market to shop identities. This allows them to reinforce or develop them, as well as assume temporary identities which can be cast aside. Temporary identities offer consumers a possibility to explore new meanings in their lives.

Consumption of brands is a dance of polarities. At one time the customers play along, and the next they move in opposite directions. Consumers and their relationship to companies are unstable to say the least. They are equally participatory, and rebellious.

Brands are raw materials
Consumption is never simple, as it involves more than merely purchasing. Consumers do not accept prepackaged brand images, as designed by the company. They grapple with them, alter them, add to them, and finally blend them into their lives. They cannot consume a brand, without becoming the brand and the brand becoming them. Brands are raw materials which consumers use to construct their identities. These raw materials are being mixed up with dreams, stories, history, values, meaning, and ideals. In this aspect consumers are producers, as the meaning of a brand is continuously being authored in multiple social contexts.

Conclusion
Companies that pride themselves in the management of their brand have to take on a broader perspective of the consumer. By studying how consumers are using their brands as cultural resources to construct identities, they can learn how to better support them. The larger role a brand plays in the construction of identity, the more valuable it becomes.

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References
Cova, Kozinets, Shankar (2007), Consumer Tribes, Elsevier
Carú, Cova (2007). Consuming Experience, Routledge