The tribe was everything. In the 90’s and 00’s tribe determined what job you got. What schools did you go to? What denomination of faith have you professed? Like Amin and Obote, the NRM government also used these tactics to feed an apostatic system of patronage where lucrative jobs and corruption abounded based on tribe.
This has largely continued unabated in our times. However, as the millennials come of age, there seem to be new gods on the scene. The death of old tribes. A proliferation of inter-tribal marriages has built a more connected country – where people have “relatives” everywhere.
As the world sacrifices community, certainty, and assurance for freedom and individualism as it madly hurdles towards modernity, it is changing in ways no one could have imagined. It was a common greeting growing up when people used to ask “What tribe are you?”
But there are new tribes that are forming that are less “seen” which are going to be quite interesting to watch as they grow. The idea of a tribe is that it’s a community of people who share commonalities – mostly they identify themselves as part of said tribe. Thinking about it now; younger people are more involved in what they want and less in what the communities are interested in.
Individuality in Community
These emerging tribes of the Gen Z generation in Uganda are defined not by their lineage but by their shared values and aspirations. These new tribes come together through social media platforms, hobbies, and personal interests, transcending geographical and cultural boundaries. A great example is how random people from all circles all of a sudden decide they like to mountain climb, run, and take days-long hikes. For each of these people, including themselves in this family is a choice. Giving meaning to the phrase “the family we choose”. For marketers, this means rethinking traditional customer segmentation approaches and shifting focus from mass marketing tactics to narrower targeted campaigns, aimed at reaching specific tribes, niches, and subcultures. Creating brand experiential executions is also a viable route to explore.
See Me for Who I Am
Gen Z-ers want to be seen and recognized for their individuality, and they crave authenticity in their relationships with brands. They don’t want to be just another face in the crowd. This has led to the rise of micro-influencers, who may have smaller followings but a stronger connection with their audience because of their authentic and salt-of-the-earth groundedness. As the big social platforms have shown us “following isn’t influence!”. Customized approaches for niche tribes will certainly be crucial to making inroads as opposed to the oft-relied-on “spray and pray” awareness methods. Brands that engage will be brands that can bring change.
Digital Natives and the Rise of E-commerce
As digital natives, they are more tech-savvy and they live online. The rise of e-commerce in Uganda has been fueled by this shift in consumer behavior, with more people than ever before shopping online for everything from groceries, electronics to clothing and pharmaceuticals. Now, the rise of e-commerce also has its other growth drivers like discretion and confidentiality but none like the convenience of doing it on your phone. Marketers now need to adapt to this new reality by creating low-friction, mobile-first strategies, and optimized digital presence.
The Power of Social Causes
These tribes are not also defined by the social causes they care about. They are more likely to support brands and causes that align with their values and demonstrate a commitment to social responsibility. From simple things like an annual cancer run to entire movements like pothole exhibitions. For marketers, the job is to tap into this passion for change and involvement by showcasing their brand’s commitment to fostering a sense of community.
The old anthropological tribes in Uganda might not fade so soon but we have to keep an eye out for these emerging ones. For marketers these new tribes offer unique opportunities to connect in more meaningful and authentic ways. The world may be changing, but the search for new tribes is just beginning.
Spartakussug: The Blog 