when marketers construct personas as a group of people instead of an individual who represents a group, these groups are often referenced by made-up names like Aspirers, Cautious Traditionals, Comfortable Progressives, and Discriminating Pragmatics.

Slow culture is what causes us to behave the way we do—our shared beliefs and values—and fast culture is a reflection of a community’s beliefs displayed in how society functions (most often seen in rituals, language, art, music, and film). Fast culture is typically ephemeral (a new diet trend or slang word), and slow culture occurs over long

I purposefully wear a University of Michigan baseball cap when I travel, whether internationally or domestically, because without fail, someone will see it and say, “Go, Blue!” And in that instance, I immediately feel that I am not alone, as if my tribe is with me even when I’m away. We are social animals, after all, and our tribal affiliations

Subsequently, the brand becomes a receipt of our identity that helps communicate who we are and how we want to be seen in the social world. Our identity and the corresponding cultural characteristics to which we subscribe are the biggest drivers of our behavior. We make sure that our actions and our belief systems are aligned. Otherwise, we find

Brooklynites adopted Brooklyn Nets fandom and bought Brooklyn Nets gear not because of the team but because of what the team represented. The team hadn’t even played its first game, but merch was selling out of the stores. Why? Because the Brooklyn Nets became a badge of Brooklyn residence, and Brooklynites bought gear to communicate their

exchange ritual, in which a product takes on new meaning because it has been given as a gift.

The more we value the group, the more likely we are to be influenced by it, even if other members don’t share the same demographic makeup.

The actions of the people in these groups extend far beyond a commitment to a shared consumption behavior or voting allegiance. Their identity is intentionally reflected in and projected through these brands, so strongly that the brand, product, or organization transcends its categorical label and becomes a part of their cultural practice.

Outside our families, our original tribe, we join tribes of our own volition.