Targeting tribes in event strategy

As businesses demand a better return on investment for customer events and event sponsorships, marketers no longer “spray and pray”. Brands now target “tribes” – but is that strategy also becoming outdated?

Client marketing teams today speak about consumers and event attendees in terms of tribes, as opposed to demographics: demographics worked when consumer data was limited, but with social media and big data readily available, marketers can now identify “tribes” for added nuance. Uncovering a tribe’s attitudes, beliefs, behaviours and motivations leads to a focused and relevant marketing strategy.

Ten years ago, segmenting individuals was a shortcut to knowing what consumers wanted. Now there's no need for that shortcut: consumers can freely share their likes and dislikes, beliefs and loyalties on public platforms. Smart marketers will ensure their brands move away from segmenting, instead asking questions around what interests consumers culturally and where they naturally gather to create an event that will bring in the target audience and a return.

Marketers need to bear in mind the duality of tribes: they’re permanent because of core beliefs, yet temporary because consumers tend to follow the latest trend. Brands need to expand on this feature in their event strategy by appealing to a particular community and belief system. Red Bull is an example of a brand that speaks to core beliefs and current trends; its events connect to its messaging, and it has loyalty among its tribe.

However, pinpointing a belief system isn’t easy. Brands need a continual dialogue with consumers to understand them. In essence, consumers want to know the brand they’re aligning with shares their belief, so the event strategy must make this clear. Brands cannot simply create a one-off event to build a following – they need to ensure every experience they create with consumers comes from the same passion point.

There is no substitute for brands immersing themselves in the lives of their customers, so tribe targeting remains a relevant strategy. Working with big data and identifying how it can be personalised is critical to the success of an effective event strategy. Primarily, though, brands need to avoid being distracted by short-term crazes and consistently focus on the core beliefs and attitudes of target market tribes.

The big take-out: Brands seeking a return on investment for events should look at consumers as tribes – and work to uncover their core beliefs, behaviours and interests to deliver experiences that meet their expectations.