Tribal Marketing: definition, benefits and how to make it work for you

Shoppers are increasingly bombarded with brand advertising, seeing between 6000 and 10,000 commercials every day¹.

In this context, tribal marketing allows businesses to step away from « aggressive mass marketing² » to develop an approach that is more gentle for shoppers and encourages their loyalty. 66% of businesses³ that have taken these steps have seen a positive impact on their customer loyalty.

Read on for the definition of tribal marketing, the benefits and how to make it work for your business.

Tribal Marketing: definition

Tribal marketing involves building on your knowledge of the codes of virtual or real communities, known as tribes, to promote your offer. Many big brands⁴ such as Apple, BMW, Harley Davidson or Audi have their own « tribes ». With the rise in digital use, these communities are increasingly present on digital channels such as social media, community websites, or forums.

To identify these communities, businesses need to use different segmentation criteria than those used in traditional marketing (age, sex, geographic location…) building on the codes, behaviors and interests shared by shoppers. 43% of the members of the Nike tribe in the UK⁵ share an interest in soccer.

The benefits of tribal marketing

Reduced marketing costs

Traditional marketing activities involve a lot of financial investment (advertising, campaign creation, purchase of dedicated solutions…) with « no guarantee of results⁶ ».

Tribal or community marketing, on the other hand, allows businesses to benefit from customers' online publications (mentions, shares, recommendations…) to promote their products. This type of marketing also enables businesses to retain their existing customers, which is 7 to 10 times less costly⁷ than winning new customers.

Better management of customer feedback

Tribal marketing provides shoppers with a platform through which you can get a better idea of shopper preferences⁸: motivations, pain points, areas for improvement…

A wise business will use these preferences to constantly evolve their products to ensure that they are in line with customer expectations⁸. This way they can show how much they consider « their customers opinions » and strengthen their connection with the brand.

This effort to listen to your customers is all the more important when you consider that 78% of shoppers⁹ feel that brands are selling products that they don't need and 72% feel that many products are useless⁹.

Enhanced image

Community marketing is about brands building on the « compassion » of its members to promote their offer.

Within a brand community, when the members are content, they become natural brand ambassadors¹⁰ and inspire trust among other consumers. 92% of shoppers¹¹ say that they have more faith in viral media such as word of mouth, and recommendations from friends or family.

By influencing other shoppers, brand ambassadors generate new sales for the company. 13% of purchases¹² result from word-of-mouth recommendations.

Our tips for implementing a tribal marketing strategy

Separate your audience into communities

To successfully implement a tribal marketing strategy, a business must first separate their audience into several communities.

A great example of this is Netflix who divided their 139 million subscribers into 1300 communities based on « viewing preferences¹³ ». Each community has its own specific codes¹³ of interaction, communication and consumption. This segmentation greatly reduced the Netflix unsubscribe rate, saving the brand 1 billion US dollars per year¹³.

Businesses making these efforts to segment their customers get better results than their competitors, increasing sales by +85%¹³ and margins by +25%¹³.

Federate members around a story

To develop a tribal marketing mindset, it is important to tell your products' story. According to American entrepreneur Seth Godin, marketing is no longer about what a business makes but about « the stories it tells⁸ ».

Apple is more than just a vendor of electronics, it sells a real vision through its « Think different¹⁴ » slogan. Through its storytelling¹⁴, the brand wanted to bring « outsiders », non-conformists, rebels together around this idea, and create a true community.

This use of storytelling has become essential for generating sales. 68% of shoppers¹⁵ say that these stories influence their decision to buy.

Build loyalty among the community

To build loyalty among the members of a community, a brand must regularly encourage them to engage, creating a sense of belonging.

A brand might organize events or competitions to keep in touch with their communities and encourage interactions. 79% of shoppers¹⁶ that have seen a competition organized by a brand have participated in it. They can also offer exclusive advantages such as early access to new products or tips from experts to excel in a given domain.

Nike cultivates loyalty among its community members by providing added value in the world of sport: tips from expert coaches, mobile app., weekly challenges… while also providing them with privileges such as reductions or special offers. This has made Nike into a support system¹⁷ and a source of motivation¹⁷ for its members on all the brand interaction contact points.

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² Phélippeau, E. (2018, July 5). Vers un marketing affinitaire vertueux. Stratégies.
³ Hyken, S. (2023, February 19). Belonging to the Brand : How Community is reshaping the marketing landscape. Forbes.
⁴ What is « Brand Tribe ». (2024, November 4). The Economic Times.
⁵ Fernandes, J. (2023, December 5). Nike vs. adidas : Understanding the two tribes that attach themselves to each brand. business.yougov.com.
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⁷ Kharbouch, A. (2021, April 22). Satisfaction client : définition, enjeux et conseils pour 2023. blog.smart-tribune.com.
⁸ Bisht, H. The Tribe Effect : How Building Communities Transforms Marketing For Business Owners. forbes.com.
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¹⁰ Sowbeez. (2024, May 6). Community Marketing. sowbeez.com.
¹¹ Puget, Y. Les consommateurs font confiance aux médias viraux. www.lsa-conso.fr.
¹² Vaghasiya, K. 20+ Impactful Word-of-Mouth Marketing Statistics (2024). wisernotify.com.
¹³ Bakhtiari, K. (2019, December 13). Stop marketing to millennials or Gen-Z and start marketing to tribes. Forbes.
¹⁴ Understanding User Tribes in Marketing : A Modern Approach to Building Brand Loyalty. (2024, 24 octobre). fellowstudio.com.
¹⁵ François, M. (2024, August 1). Elevating Your Brand Narrative : Expert Perspectives on Bold Storytelling. playplay.com.
¹⁶ HubSpot. La liste indispensable des statistiques marketing en 2024. hubspot.fr.
¹⁷ How Nike's Run Club became a Community Powerhouse. (2024, January 19). wondry.co.