Know Thy Tribe
You never know what kind of journey a great podcast will take you on.
Take for example my recent revelation listening to one of my favorite pods, Deep State Radio, a twice-weekly podcast created and hosted by David Rothkopf, a foreign policy expert and former CEO of Foreign Policy magazine. It features recurring guests who are experts and foreign policy wonks, including David Sanger of The New York Times, Rosa Brooks who is Associate Dean for Graduate Programs at Georgetown University Law Center and Kori Schake, who is the Deputy-Director General of the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Each episode provides a robust and erudite deep dive into the far-reaching and seemingly impenetrable topics that affect our nation’s foreign affairs. It provides the kind of insight and understanding that is largely responsible for any success it has earned, but there’s something else that happens with this podcast that has listeners coming back. It is FUN.
Despite the heavy topics, the host and guests clearly respect one another and enjoy each other’s company. The banter is vibrant. There is a unique, self-deprecating sense of humor that is part of the shows DNA (the show kicks of every episode by informing its listeners that it is being broadcast from the third sub-basement of the Ministry of Snark).
The host and the guests also go out of their way to pay respect to the show’s loyal base of fans, that they affectionately label Deep State Nerds. They engage with their fans via social media and have contests where lucky fans can win Deep State swag.
It was during a recent episode when the host was laying the plaudits on thick for his Nerds that it occurred to me:
He is speaking to me.
He is thanking me.
I am part of this base of fans he calls Nerds.
I am a Deep State Nerd.
I’m part of this tribe!
And I love it.
It got me thinking about how it feels to be part of a tribe, and also why it’s important for organizations trying to increase customers (read: all of them) to understand the nature of tribes.
To quote author and marketing guru Seth Godin from his book dedicated to this topic, Tribes, “You’re not going to be able to grow your career or your business or feed the tribe by going after most people.”
Is there a tribe you would like to understand better? For growing your base of customers, consumers or followers, are there insights to be leveraged by deeply understanding a tribe — one that currently exists around your brand or one that you are trying to create?
Not long ago, we took a deep dive into the growing phenomenon of “furry fandom’” an oft-misunderstood subculture that has many tribal aspects. Here are a few things that we learned:
While a shared interest in animals and anthropomorphics helps furries become initially acquainted, it is the social support furries give and receive creates their tribal feelings of shared meaning and deep connection.
Furries see the community as a space in which they can freely share their thoughts, feelings, and interests with other who offer a tremendous amount of support, no judgment, and a feeling of connectedness to the world.
The fandom is a special, supportive, and nonjudgmental space where furries feel free to express their individuality and creativity. They can discover who they dream of being, who they have the potential to be, and ultimately, who they truly are.
This “journey to their true self” is a similar passage people take when joining a fandom (think Beyoncé’s Beyhive), becoming a passionate supporter of a brand — or adopting a favorite podcast.
Ask us about our insights into the Furry phenomenon. By understanding what makes this tribe tick, you may learn how to connect with the tribe most important to you.
Oh, and if this happens to get to you, Deep State Radio…I would really like a mug.
phone: 412–288–9790
website: http://olsonzaltman.com
twitter: @olsonzaltman
For more information on what we learned about furries, visit:
