The Business of Belonging
In Tribe, Sebastian Junger explores how traditional communities have started disappearing in modern society. Historically bound by geographic or familial ties, people now turn to brands, social groups, social media, and businesses to fulfill that deep-rooted need for connection.
“The loss of community and connection has left people searching for ways to belong, as they did in tribal societies. Today, this search plays out in how people engage with companies that successfully create a sense of shared values and purpose.” — Sebastian Junger
We no longer feel bound to our neighbor, country, or place of worship as we used to. We find ourselves in a “loneliness epidemic,” with people searching for meaning and connection.
For brands, community must be a core value, not a marketing tactic. From product development to branding to corporate culture, the brands that thrive in the future will prioritize relationships and shared values over simple transactions. Revenue is an output of value creation for customers. If you create meaning for people, they will return to you.
A Brief History of Community in Business: Tupperware, Avon, SoulCycle, and Female Empowerment
Community-based marketing has roots in grassroots strategies pioneered by companies like Tupperware and Avon. Tupperware parties became prevalent in the 1950s and 1960s, allowing women to gather in living rooms and sell cutting-edge plastic products through personal demonstrations. These parties weren’t just about buying food storage — they were a space for women to connect, network, and step into entrepreneurship at a time when working outside the home wasn’t widely encouraged. Tupperware’s model relied on emotional connections built around the product and the shared experiences of suburban women seeking empowerment (Harvard Business School).
Similarly, founded in 1886, Avon perfected the direct-selling model by employing women as sales representatives, turning them into small business owners who sold beauty products to friends and neighbors. This allowed women to make money and grow professionally long before social media made personal branding accessible. Tupperware and Avon converted their customers into advocates, converting the community into a powerful sales driver.
Fast-forward to today and social media has expanded this concept exponentially. Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook have made it possible for brands to build global communities by engaging with customers in real-time. SoulCycle created a fitness class whose primary product was community. The end-to-end business was founded in creating shared experiences, connection, and self-discovery — especially for women. Community is a Core Value, Not a Tactic
Building an authentic community can’t be relegated to the marketing department. It’s not about launching loyalty programs or incentivizing customers to join a club. It’s about embedding community into every part of the business — from product development and storytelling to how you treat your employees and customers.
Top 10 Tips for Building an Authentic Community
Make Community a Core Value: The REI co-op model engages customers in outdoor adventures and environmental stewardship, unifying their consumer base in the brand’s commitment to collective action. Similarly, Patagonia utilizes a mission-driven tactic to align its business with environmental activism, creating a sense of purpose and belonging beyond its products.
Co-Create with Your Customers: Engage your community early in the product development. Feedback and collaboration build ownership.
Tell Authentic Stories: Your community should hear themselves in your brand’s story. CrossFit highlights personal transformation stories from everyday athletes, not just elite performers. CrossFit Games showcases actual participants pushing their limits and achieving fitness milestones, making the brand’s message relatable and inspiring to its wider community.
Create Real-World Experiences: Host events, workshops, or community-led activities. Brands like SoulCycle, Starbucks, and Sephora build loyalty through shared experiences, not just transactions.
Reward Meaningfully: Offer your community something valuable — early access to products, increased affiliate commissions, or exclusive events, as Sephora does with Beauty Insider.
Be Transparent and Inclusive: Ensure that all community members, not just influencers, can participate. Airbnb’s open forums allow everyone to share their experiences and ideas.
Foster Long-Term Relationships: Think beyond the sale. Build strategies that create lifelong loyalty, such as personalized rewards or exclusive memberships like Sephora’s early product access.
Leverage Technology to Connect: Brands like Nike Run Club and Airbnb use digital platforms to create community through shared interests and experience
Build Community Into Your Core Product: Peloton embeds community directly into its digital product and content strategy with live classes, social interaction, and competition, making the community an essential part of the fitness experience. Airbnb’s brand community is a platform for sharing travel experiences. It is a mechanism to connect hosts and guests through shared travel experiences.
Amplify Your Best Advocates: Celebrate your community’s success stories. Use them in your messaging and reward them for their loyalty, as LEGO does by highlighting its passionate fanbase in user-generated content and through its LEGO Ideas platform, and as Patagonia does by showcasing environmental activism stories from its customers.
The Upshot:
Successful consumer brands understand community isn’t just a program — it’s an ecosystem of relationships, shared values, and authentic connections. By embedding community into every facet of the business, from product development to corporate culture, companies will build loyalty and evangelism, increase LTV, foster engagement, and, ultimately, create advocates for life.
Melissa Gellman Weiss // Founder & CEO
MGW&CO // www.thisismgw.com