Tribes - What Does This Mean for Marketers?
December 12, 2008 • No comments
I’ve been listening to Seth Godin’s new book, “Tribes” and considering what his conclusions mean for the future of publicity and marketing. The book was available for free download at Audible. I’ve not used this service before, but so far it seems to have worked well! I love audiobooks, so this could be my newest favorite resource. Anyhow, back to “Tribes”.
Apparently, we are all tribe followers and anyone can become a tribe leader. However, many are unprepared to lead, and may not know what to even do with those who are trying to follow them. Godin says that marketers need to grasp this changing world because, in fact, “what people really want is the ability to connect to each other, not to companies”. Not surprising, as this is something I’ve been pushing for the past few years. Ellen’s Picks became a known youth work resource because of this type of thinking. I didn’t intend to start a tribe, and just wanted to provide a service, but it became something that leaders depended on.
While the premise of “Tribes” is easily understood, it becomes tricky when you realize that what you need for the company to survive is a measurable response that can be shown to nervous accountants and CFO’s. I’ll keep listening and see if Godin offers a solution to this tension. Meanwhile, it is comforting to know that that I’ve been on the right track for the past few years.
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