MARKETING TO DIGITAL TRIBES

According to The Guardian, a digital tribe can be defined as a group of people who “hold similar interests and beliefs”.

When you begin to look at consumers as members of Digital Tribes, you need to find new ways of supporting their passions. Businesses market to Digital tribes by

• Creating digital propositions that will attract existing or new Digital Tribes.
• Aiming to have a much deeper connection and conversation with the targeted
Digital Tribes.
• Facilitate dialogue and interaction between members of the digital tribes.
• Identify niche tribes that may be underserved.
• Leverage the Long Tail of content.
• Provide tailored products and services for each tribe.

For me, when thinking of Digital tribes, the first that come to mind are the supporters of sports star Cristiano Ronaldo and Pop band One Direction.

Ronaldo,  being the most followed person on instagram with over 148 million followers, carries a significant digital tribe. His fans are in complete adoration of him and many will listen to his every word.  His sponsors pay a hefty sum for just a single sponsored post on his social media pages as they know it will resonate with thousands of fans that will try the product just because cristiano is endorsing it. Hookit estimates that Ronaldo has more than 2.3 million social media interactions and views per post. Those interactions generate $1.8 million in value per sponsored post for brands like Nike. And according to social media research firm Izea, Ronaldo has made close to $400,000 on each of his sponsored posts on Instagram in 2018.

Possibly the most infamous Digital tribe of the 21st century are Pop sensation ‘One Direction’. One Direction has always been clear that they are a fan-driven operation. They answered fan questions at every concert, and during nearly every interview. The fans got a “massive thank you” whenever the band won an award, as opposed to other acts who tend to thank God, their manager, their label, their producer, and everyone else.

It’s paid off, obviously. One Direction’s deeply engaged audience   online nearly 24/7  has been an integral part of the band’s path toward global superstardom as The awl highlight. They were so close to their fans that marketing Products almost seemed like a gift to the fans.

The Important thing to remember about marketing to Digital Tribes is that The customers are doing the talking more then the brand, they create the content.