tribal marketing

n. A marketing strategy that attempts to create social groups or communities that are centered around a product or service.

Examples

2001

But the Amsterdam-based former journalist said fashion fortune-tellers had lost some of their power in the past decade. Designers such as Prada and Gucci are so keenly watched they are capable of starting trends on the catwalk. And it's been 10 years since the rise of "niche" or tribal marketing in response to the cult of individualism.

—Kristine Gough, “Crystal ball gazer sees a hard future,” The Australian, March 23, 2001

1996 (earliest)

Thus, the credo of tribal marketing is that postmodern people are looking for products and services that not only enable them to be freer, but can also link them to others, to a community, to a tribe: products and services that not only have a use value but also have a linking value.

—Bernard Cova, “The postmodern explained to managers: implications for marketing,” Business Horizons, November 21, 1996

Filed Under

marketing sociology

Some Related Words

advergame brand wagon brandwidth drip marketing gamification genericide multilevel marketing murketing passion brand permission marketing roach bait single-brand store social networking social swarming undercover marketing zip code marketing

Posted: July 01, 1997