Embracing the Kinship Community
How to build a brand through reciprocity and create value for society?
When I decided to write this blog post, we lived in a very different world, and it was a world where the fear of an unjustifiable war was not omnipresent in our lives. We were living with hope, optimism, and excitement for a world that had unified through a pandemic.
When we thought we had come out the other end more vigorous than ever before, we now face a war of a magnitude never thought possible for this day in age. It was beautiful to see how humanity came together to overcome an unprecedented time filled by COVID-19. We had every opportunity to slow down, reconnect with our loved ones, and make time for the little things in life that matter most; our health and happiness.
We have redefined the meaning of work and the importance of material things and found a new way of contributing to society. At the moment, there is a much bigger trust in communities.
People are holding companies, governments, and institutions accountable for how they treat the environment and their social responsibility in the world. Today’s society relies on brands to make them feel safer, connected, and seen in a time of despair.
According to The Brutally Honest Gen Z Report For 2022, from Imagen Insights, 0% of Gen Zs will trust brands in 2022. The same cohort from the report stated that only 3% would trust newspapers and magazines, and 4% would trust the government. As we interpret this data, it is safe to say that there is no longer trust in the traditional mediums that brands communicate with their audience.
The future of the marketing discipline is unknown and at risk of extinction if we do not break old norms. There are way more changes happening in the world that have accelerated us forward in ways we have never seen before. It is no longer about climate change, it’s about how everything has changed.
As I debated whether or not to write this post, I soon realized that introducing the Kinship Community is topical and culturally relevant for the moment for the following reasons.
- It creates a system that maintains unity, harmony, and reciprocity within the relationship with customers.
- It is a network where brands act as platforms of personal relationships with like-minded individuals to create economic value for each member.
- It has become even more critical because people have expressed a higher mistrust in institutions, governments, and companies.
At the moment, the world is frantic, chaotic, and moving to unknown directions at lightning speed but with no precision! Hence, brands can become trusted partners within their communities.
Technology is advancing, the economy is uncertain, and the world is undergoing a societal transformation. The world is evolving and giving brands the power to connect with people through the power of digital technology.
The current evolution of our communities is challenging everyone to think outside the box. The global supply chain is experiencing shortages, creating a suppressed demand, and brands carry high inventory in their warehouses. People expect far more for less, but that cannot be the case anymore. There is an opportunity to rethink how we create value and build social connections without distractions and economic value for all.
The beauty of technology allows brands to know their audience more personally, driving continuous two-way dialogue with people. We are deep into the era of the personalization scale, and marketing needs to reinvent themselves, use data to inform decisions, and know individuals personally.
The barrier to overcome is how you capture and ethically store data. With the departure of third-party cookies from Chrome, it will become more difficult to be precisely relevant for the people you want to serve.
The companies who have embraced the need for first-party data capture already have a head-start on their competitors. With this innovative approach, these companies can swiftly shift communication from the traditional push marketing to a Kinship Community where you create demand for the brand.
The Kinship Community marketing approach is a straightforward principle. It establishes clear guidelines for communication and interaction among the brand audience to create shared economic value for communities, brands, and society. The brand can connect with the target audience more profoundly over more extended periods with this approach.
I understand that you are probably asking yourself, how do I balance the pressure to deliver today’s sales? We all know that with no growth, there is no tomorrow!
You have to remember that your consumers are people too. Remember that your brand will gain their trust and form a community by making personal connections with your consumers.
Building your brand on the foundations of the Kinship Community is how brands can grow in today’s unprecedented times. Slow down, regain trust, and allow your brand to be an outlet for self-expression for every creator.
Suppose you want to have a meaningful role in society. First, you must answer how you will generate value for this community. There is no better time now for brands to act as platforms to unite people and society.
