I read this interesting article which talks about Toyota Prius owners. I think it also highlights some key issues that companies need to address in order to benefit from the Tribal Approach.
1) Are your operations geared for the increases in sales due to external factors (i.e. increasing fuel costs) and your own marketing efforts? According to the article:
Waiting lists of three months seem to be common nationwide, to the point where an online support group has sprung up.
Auto analysts say that in California, demand is so high that used Priuses go for close to what a new one would sell for.
“Unless Toyota sends a lot more cars, we’re going to see Prius wait lists spin out again to about six months,” one Berkeley, Calif., Toyota dealer told HybridCars.com in June.
In fact, sales were down in June of this year because dealers simply ran out of stock, prompting Toyota to switch a planned Mississippi factory’s production line from Highlander SUVs to Priuses.
2) Is your tribe welcoming to new members - or are they too exclusive? Remember, tribes need to have an ‘Us vs. Them’ mentality but must also be inclusive.
Two areas that may need to be addressed (which are covered in the article)
- The $22,000 price point may be too high to afford for many people - thus they stick with their old vehicles
- People feel that Prius owners are too snobby with their eco-friendliness. And too exclusive:
“I think that we Prius owners need a dating/whatever program, to hook us up with other Prius owners,” says one posteron Priuschat.com.
He admits it’s half a joke, but says it “stems from my inability to look at people with gas-burning cars as attractive.”
It’s clear that hybrid buyers want to appear environmentally conscious, observes Aaron Bragman, a Detroit-based research analyst with the Global Insight economic-forecasting company.
“A big component [of hybrid ownership] is the social aspect,” he says, adding that if a consumer just wanted to save money on gas, he or she could buy a new subcompact for $11,000 instead of forking out a minimum of $22,000 for a hybrid.
Toss in the tax breaks and access to highway HOV lanes that hybrid drivers get in many locales, and it’s no wonder old-school drivers can get irritated.
“I do believe in global warming, but the Prius isn’t the answer,” posts one commenteron the popular tech blog Engadget. “Every time I look at a Prius, it only reaffirms my belief that ultra-liberals and poorly educated science environments are the world’s greatest threats. GO HUG A TREE PRIUS BUYERS!”
I would strongly suggest Toyota look at their tribe closely and ask themselves these questions:
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Is the tribe getting too far away from Toyota’s intended goal?
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What can we do to ensure our brand is being accurately interpreted by the tribe?
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Is the Prius brand worth keeping? Should the hybrid technology be propagated more evenly across multiple vehicle platforms?
It is possible a savvy competitor could use this as an opportunity to break into Toyota’s dominance of the hybrid space.
