To reach these teen tribes, how should marketers approach their branding and marketing campaigns?
Philip Airey: First, teens usually display a dominant emotional goal, which is shaped by each individual’s personality, is highly influenced by the social environment and evolves as the teen matures. Second, the emotional states alone do not define tribe association. Rather, they are a simplified construct that help explain sources of preference and drivers of behavior. Hence, marketers can use these four emotional states to understand the influence models, which affect their brands, and to enhance brand positioning. Marketers interested in targeting specific teen tribes – such as Skate, Emo or Scene –should build in-depth knowledge of their teen affiliates and parents. The goal is to gain enough insight to establish a credible dialogue with the target group. Ethnographic research techniques are particularly valuable in this sense. The development of Nike SB is a classic example. After several failed attempts to penetrate the skateboarding market, Nike successfully reissued its Dunk s
