Six Benefits of Creating a Uniform for Your Tribe
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One of my favorite sights when I have traveled to far away lands are the lines of neatly uniformed school children you so often see lined up outside their school, or waiting in a line for the school bus. From Lima to Lisbon, Timbuktu to Tokyo, Bangui to Bangkok you can’t help but notice them. Attired in blazers, shorts or skirts, and freshly laundered shirts and ties. Regardless of the climate, and regardless of economic circumstances. Sometimes it feels like the poorer the community, the more perfectly presented the pupils are.
Growing up in suburban south London I too wore a school uniform, one that, in secondary school, I, naturally rebelled against, and bastardized as much as I could, within the rather vague rules of acceptability.
Those uniforms distinguished us Public School (akin to Private Schools in the US) boys from our brethren who went to the local comprehensive or other nearby educational establishments. And that’s what they were designed to do. They marked us out as a tribe.
Today, we see this everywhere. Sometimes those uniforms are foisted apon us, but, more often, we choose to wear them, and, in so doing, signal to the world something about who we are, or who we want to be.
In fact, uniforms do six things very clearly:
They signal a tribal affiliation. The clearest expression of this is the wearing of team shirts and caps by sports fans, or brands and styles by music followers.
They suggest our values. Wearing a flat cap in England always used to denote a Labor supporter, and a Bowler hat a Tory voter. Likewise flip flops and boardshorts convey very different values to chinos and button down shirts.
They say who or what we are for, and against. MAGA hats shout to the world loud and clear that the wearer is anti-immigrant, pro-life and pro-guns. A tie dye shirt says quite the opposite.
They help us fit in. Wearing something similar to everyone else says ‘I’m with you’, whether that’s blue jeans or a Saville Row suit.
They convey authority. Bankers wear suits for a reason, as do bouncers. In their different ways, their uniforms are a power play and a reminder of who’s in charge.
They give us confidence. The old adage of ‘look good, perform great’ is true for a reason. Cheerleaders, glam rockers and TV Presenters are all living proof that how you look is how you feel is how you perform.
Every community has multiple tribes, most easily distinguishable by what they choose to wear, or not wear. Those uniforms are shorthand for a much more complicated belief system. Which is why they are so valuable to schools, communities and brands.
Savvy brands love uniforms. And not just in the arena of clothing. Smart brands, and Challengers in particular – those brands whose ambitions exceed their resources and who, therefore, have to use every point of contact to their advantage – excel at creating uniforms and badges to indicate their tribal loyalty. Sometimes in quite surprising ways.
Here are four examples from brands who have successfully put their uniform at the center of a tribe:
Carhartt. Founded in 1889 Carhartt has billed itself for decades as an authentic working man’s (and now working woman’s) brand. Built for building sites, farms and the wilds. Built from the sturdiest materials without compromise. Built by the hardworking for the hardworking.
However, in the early 2000’s a new generation of Pabst Blue Ribbon and Miller High Life drinking hipsters coopted the brand, to signal their blue-collar sympathies, even as they worked white-collar jobs. Similar to trucker hats and Dickie’s jackets, Carhartt’s Made in the USA jeans, jackets, boots and shirts came to signify a connection to those who make and create for a living. To those who work with their hands. To those who value hard work. Proving, yet again, that you can buy authenticity, one item at a time.
Toyota Prius. Since when is a car a uniform? Since Henry Ford started offering cars in more than one color, that’s when. Of course, it’s not just Prius’s that clearly denote their owners’ values. So do Hummers, Jeep Wranglers, Escalades and 911’s. Visualizing any of them probably also conjurs up the driver of each splendid vehicle. For many people, the car they drive is a statement of their beliefs, aspirations and, sometimes, politics.
Arguably (outside of GM’s short-lived EV-1) the Prius was the first car for the eco-warrior. With an attainable 50+MPG, a distinctive shape and a badge on the back that said ‘Hybrid’ before most of us knew what the term meant, it quickly became the car of the green movement. A uniform that acted as a living, moving, values-billboard.
Dr. Martens’. Growing up in a highly volatile south London I knew better than to question anyone wearing Doc Martens’. Those (often steel-toed) boots meant business, as did their owners, who were usually skin heads or punks, intent on donning out some GBH (grievous bodily harm) to anyone not in their tribe.
This 120 year old brand didn’t patent their unique air sole, eight-hole look, until 1960, when the utilitarian work boot almost instantly became a cultural icon. Initially adopted by ska-lovers, Pete Townsend of the Who became the first pop icon to wear the boot on stage, and the rest, as they say, is history. Anti-establishment history at that. And history with more than a few ups and downs.
Today, Doc Martens’ still have attitude, but it’s more about rock ‘n roll individuality than blatant violence, with the brand epitomizing the never-ending revolution that is fashion, rock n roll and youth rebellion. Long may that last.
EarPods. Today, it’s hard to walk down any street in America and not see someone (often a Millennial) sporting small white protrusions from their ears. But it wasn’t always so. When Apple launched the iPod (a thousand songs in your pocket) in 2001 the world of portable music was dominated by Sony’s Walkman. And every Walkman came with a pair of black headphones with black cables. Until Apple zigged when they zagged, and introduced white ear pods with white cables.
Instantly, a clear badge, uniform and tribal denotation was created. You didn’t have to see the music player in the person’s backpack or pocket to know it was an iPod, and that they were part of the new creative class. The white did the talking. And has done for nearly two decades. Time for red or yellow cables, someone?
One of the great advantages of attaching yourself, as a Challenger, to a tribe, is the loyalty that naturally ensues. Owning a pair of Doc Martens’, Carhartt jacket or a Prius is a clear, succinct expression of your values, your aspirations and your outlook on life. With one small label or symbol anyone can tell so much about you.
Challengers know this. It’s at the center of their DNA.
As we constantly state, Challengers project their beliefs insistently and consistently. And, in so doing, they force people to take sides for, or against them. They polarize with intent. They create fans, not customers. They inspire loyalty as much as sales. They generate pride, not just products.
And, because of this, people aspire to be part of their tribe. To sport their badge or icon. To wear their uniform. The funny thing is though, that, as the tribe grows in numbers and visibility, so the very uniform that made the brand, and the owners of said brand, distinctive and exceptional, starts to become the norm.
Look around San Francisco, and every third car is a Tesla or Prius, in keeping with the city’s environmental bent. Had you visited any hipster bar in Brooklyn a decade ago all you would have seen were trucker hats, Carhartt jackets and Dickie’s boots. If you had wandered down the King’s Road in SW London in the late 70’s, you would have seen a sea of Doc Marten-clad punks, rockers, skin-heads and mods.
Which brings us back to square one. The original point of school uniforms was to suppress individuality and encourage allegiance to the school, or tribe. Today’s Challenger Brands have to walk the line between creating a uniform that clearly reflects their beliefs, and one that becomes so ubiquitous it loses its edge, and therefore desirability.
Across the world, uniforms send signals. Signals that we all interpret in different ways. Challengers harness this phenomena to bond their tribes, regardless of whether or not they wait in neat lines at bus stops.