Sell Me a Story

In marketing, it’s no longer about demographic segments, but about ‘tribes.’ What’s wrong with brands preaching a ‘gospel’ about values?

Steven Poole reviews the book For the Culture: The Power Behind What We Buy, What We Do, and Who We Want to Be by Marcus Collins. Excerpts:

"people drink a particular beer not only for its unique balance of hops and barley, but for what they believe the brand says about them.

"But what is culture, exactly? Mr. Collins calls it the operating system by which we live, and includes identity, shared language, social norms and cultural production—art, movies, fashion and branded products."

"we belong to “tribes” of shared beliefs and passions (skateboarders, say, or heavy-metal fans); many members of these tribes will gather in larger “congregations” (alternative-sports fans, festivalgoers). To these congregations, brands should preach a “gospel” about their own values. (It is ironic that many brands champion the value of nonconformity to persuade customers to adopt their uniform.) With this rhetorical scheme, the author continues the tradition of commerce borrowing the language of religious virtue."

"Some of Mr. Collins’s case studies illustrate win-win situations in which a surge in profits follows a socially positive campaign, as when Nike made the NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick the star of a 2018 campaign with the tagline “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.” Most endearing is the author’s account of some of his own marketing failures. Hired a few years ago to rejuvenate the soft drink Sprite—old tagline: “Obey your thirst”—his team made an ad with an updated slogan, “Only for the thirsty.” They had somehow overlooked that “thirsty” is now internet slang for being lustful or sex-starved. Twitter had a field day, and the ad was pulled within 24 hours. This, the author comments wryly, is a good example of failing to understand how cultural meanings have shifted."

"Those who associate with a brand’s values are more likely to buy from it, so brands should seek to “activate their tribes”—as if we don’t already have enough warring factions on social media and elsewhere."

"those who push culture forward and create new narratives for the rest of us—including the author’s beloved Jay-Z, the writers of Netflix’s “Stranger Things” and so forth—are more than herd animals. They are making something new via the mysterious process of creation. Perhaps the product is, after all, sometimes more important than the messaging."