Brand tribalism

A brand tribe is a concept in marketing that refers to ephemeral groups that enable connections among consumers sharing passions or interests.^[1][2] A brand tribe is part of a tribal marketing strategy fostering engagement among consumers, as opposed to emphasizing the functionality of products and services.^[3]

The concept of brand tribes or consumer tribes in marketing refers to the development of consumer-to-consumer engagement through the emergence of neo-tribal values such as rituality and group locality. A brand tribe differs from a brand community in which tribes lack long-term commitment to the group, and do not locate their socialization around a single brand.^[4] The notion of consumer tribe refers to a multiplicity of commercial and non-commercial social groupings, characterized as impermanent, fluid, and ephemeral.^[2]

The concept of brand tribes or consumer brands originates in the sociological theory on neotribalism proposed by Michel Maffesoli in his book "The Time of the Tribes" published in 1988.^[5] The neo-tribalism theory posits that people evolved to live in a tribe-like society and thus form social networks that resemble those of a tribe. As O'Riley discussed in a Marketing Theory article, Maffesoli's notion of neo-tribalism has been incorporated into marketing research and branding practice to describe ephemeral and self-elective groups of consumers^[6]

Much in this area is still under-theorised. Academics have explored and discussed the degree of connectedness between consumers and brands and the implications for post-modern organisations and consumption.^[7]