What Does Jeep Have To Do With Branding?
Hey Friends,
Marketing today is less about features and benefits and more about creating and nurturing your tribe. As consumers, we’re driven by more than just “it can do this” and “it helps you to achieve that”.
We’re driven by belonging.
While the word TRIBE has multiple meanings, I’m defining it as a group of people who not only share the same interests but also communicate with each other.
With seemingly every person on the planet connected via a mobile phone and social platform, the idea of communicating with fellow tribe members is more likely than it has ever been. In fact, it’s what consumers are looking for — like-minded people who share the same interest and want to talk about it.
While in San Diego and Seattle last week I told a story about how we’re a Jeep family. We have a baby Jeep (a manual Patriot - side question, who still drives a manual these days? 🙋♂️) and our new Grand Cherokee.
Now if you’re a Jeep owner you might already know this, but all of us Jeep owners are able to take part in the Jeep Wave. A way to acknowledge other Jeep owners as an act of solidarity.
Now, some may argue (like Melissa my wife) that only Wrangler owners can do it, but Jeep is now making it part of their warranty and performance pledge for all owners.
They’re pulling this message and tribal mores (the essential or characteristic customs and conventions of a community) front and center as one of the ultimate features & benefits of owning a Jeep.
An attendee at one of the workshops I ran raised her hand and told us all the story of the time she rented a Wrangler and had no clue why everyone was waving at her while she was driving.
Now she knew.
When a brand is able to amass a tribe of obsessive fans and consumers, we begin to turn marketing around from push to a pull. The tribe begins to market the brand and creates groundswells.
As marketers, business leaders, and entrepreneurs, we should carry the following mantra around with us always because it’s the true motivation of customers.
That’s it for this week. For now, just remember that creating and nurturing a tribe will sustain your business for many years to come.
And if you remember, that’s exactly why we’re in business. To get more people to buy more things at a higher price for more years.
- Steven