Are You Part Of The Apple Tribe?: Corporate Tribalism

by , 12:00 PM EDT, April 30th, 2002

The millions who wear logoed shirts, drive only a particular brand of auto, and own a particular brand of computer, a Mac for instance, are members of what an article in the San Francisco Journal calls Corporate Tribes. The article, titled 'Corporate tribalism -- just can't do it' by David Lazarus, posits that people buy things, not necessarily because they are better products, but because they want to belong to a certain tribe. The article pointed to several popular brandsnames, including Apple, and said:

"These people aren't just buying products," explained Wendy Liebmann, president of marketing consultant WSL Strategic Retail in New York. "They're buying an aesthetic, a lifestyle that the brand connotes."

That may be, but one consultant thinks there's less to it.

"Look at Apple Computer," said Steve Manning, managing director of A Hundred Monkeys, a Sausalito branding consultant. "They make boxes with chips, but people think Apple actually has a personality."

The Apple corporate tribe, in turn, believes it's waging a holy war against the evil forces of Microsoft and PC-makers. "And the thing is," Manning observed, "you can spend $1,400 for an Apple or get a Dell that runs faster for just $700."

His conclusion: "Advertising works."

This is a interesting notion. Read the article, then let us know what you think.

The Mac Observer Spin:

If this is true then we can't think of a better tribe of which to be part.

We wonder, however, where they found Mr. Steve Manning, whose archaic ideas about Macs and Mac users makes us cringe. A Holy War? A $700 Dell that run faster than any new Mac? We shudder at the depth of Mr. Manning's mis-information. The Dell Tribe (or whatever tribe Mr. Manning in which may count himself, is welcome to him.

Corporate tribalism -- just can't do it