Research
JEREMY WOLTER Privett Professor Department of Marketing
“...research shows that the “togetherness” aspect significantly compounds brand loyalty, making repeat purchases more likely to happen.”
Quacking Your Customer’s Code W e are a tribal species. In primitive times our hunter- gatherer ancestors needed
an emotional attachment to a favorite lipstick or activewear set. Magic happens when that emotional connection develops alongside other people who are developing the same kind of connection. Research shows that the “togetherness” aspect significantly compounds brand loyalty, making repeat purchases more likely to happen. Jeep has expanded upon movements that their customers have started. Ever wonder why the dashboards of Jeeps are always decked out with plastic rubber duckies? Jeep owners began the tradition of “ducking” each other’s vehicles as a sign of light-hearted enthusiast solidarity. Now the movement has become a hallmark of the Jeep owner persona—playful, adventurous, and spirited. Jeep now sells officially licensed, cheery yellow duckies. Guess you could say their customers get a quack out of it. HM
whether in-person or online, around a specially curated event, the collective identity of the “tribe” can be leveraged to influence purchasing behaviors. “Social encounters can give us a social high,” Wolter says. “When businesses create a group for people, the group can become a collective personality. That strengthens the customer relationship.” Wolter cautions it can weaken that relationship if dynamics go in the wrong direction. Determining the tone of your customer’s tribe cannot be left to chance. Companies Sephora and Lulu- lemon have taken an exclusivity approach. A tiered club membership segues into special beauty classes or private exercise events. In these settings, the customer develops
each other to survive. Today, swaddled in modern comfort we may find ourselves more isolated, less communal, but that tribal instinct still exists. It’s just been revamped. Brands are the new tribes, managers and marketers the tribal leaders. Savvy marketers can harness that primitive tribal impulse to create a bond between a company and its customers. Not only does a tribe provide a sense of social safety, it confers status and identity on its members. Translating tribal speak into business speak, Harbert Professor Jeremy Wolter found that it’s worthwhile to organize customer groups around communal experiences. By uniting customers,
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