Tribal marketing
By Bob Bailly
My recent posts have looked at how our evolutionary past has shaped our modern business behaviour. Recently I looked at the desire to live and work in a tribal setting – a feeling so powerful that many of our business practices are based upon a tribe’s primitive functioning. I also looked at the notion that tribes demand strong leaders, and these leaders must inspire their followers (through fear, heredity or action). Followers must also understand and accept their roles for the tribe to be successful.
I pointed out that there were other conditions necessary for us to want to belong. Here are three I noted, with some comments about implications for modern business.
- Tribes have a strong culture and are prone to develop and use cultural symbols.
- Tribes develop stories, sometimes magical and sometimes mythical, that define their values.
- Tribes have enemies, and the stronger the enemy the stronger the loyalty to the tribe.
