Tribe One

The tall and troubled

The females that make up this consumer tribe have grown up with insecurities surrounding the way they look, specifically with regards to their height. They may have felt a sense of segregation from other people their age and been subject to stereotypes about what sport they play or what job they will end up doing. They are likely to be at the lower age bracket of Sequoia’s target audience as these confidence issues are generally more common in the teenage population, and therefore will display more typical generation Z qualities.

These consumers shop predominantly online due to the limited availability of clothing in stores, and although they wish to be more trend-driven and innovative, their fashion purchases are more dictated by the availability of tall clothing provided by retailers, which is often not up to date with the most current trends

self actualisation

esteem

love and belonging

safety needs

physiological needs

Figure 2: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs looks at the progression of fulfilment of an individuals needs, focusing on the idea that a new level cannot be reached until the previous one is fulfilled. This tribe strive for ‘belongingness and love needs’. Having felt insecure and under-represented due to their height, they aspire to feel like they fit in and belong.

Sensitive:

Stereotypes often associated with tall young females and comments that are frequently thrown about have created insecurities for the individuals in this tribe and caused them to develop more cautious personalities in certain situations. The opinions of other people can be quite influential for this tribe as they seek validation from their friends, family and even strangers. It is important for them to feel accepted by others, and they can be easily affected by things people say. Growing up with such a strong presence of social media in their lives has potentially heightened the issues of confidence and comparing themselves to others, however many are now beginning to discover the benefits of being able to seek out and follow people they can relate to on social media.

Sociable:

Despite the insecurities of this tribe, they are generally very sociable individuals, both online and offline, and as previously discussed, friends and family provide an important influence . 57% of 16-23 year olds said spending time with friends in person is the activity they enjoy the most (Emmanuel, 2020. As a result, technology is important as a means of communication, during the Covid-19 lockdown when face-to-face interaction was so limited. Connecting with others is the main purpose of using social media as it fulfils the desire of this group to feel in touch with the people that are important to them. According to Statista, 79% of 15-25 year olds use WhatsApp, and 76% use Instagram (Statista, 2021) highlighting the significance of platforms that allow communication with existing friends and family, as well as avenues to meet and interact with new people across the world.

Individuality:

This tribe value individualism and the importance of feeling valued, accepted and represented. Brands that celebrate self-expression and empowerment will appeal to this group. They value individualism over inclusion in the sense that they don’t want brands to cater for everyone, they want brands to cater for the individual (Owen, 2019). This is particularly important for tall women who feel that their needs as a group, and an individual are not being taken into consideration. In a survey of tall women, 51% of people felt that no effort at all is being made at accommodating taller consumers, and a further 48% felt only minimal attempt Is being made by the average retailer (Hillsborough, 2014). This creates a focus on the importance of individuality for them.

Respect is an important value for this tribe in many different aspects. Many of these individuals have suffered from derogatory comments about their height so feeling as though they are being treated in a respectful way has become even more important to them. They are open-minded individuals who are accepting of the diverse range of people that make up the generation they are a part of, and therefore the expect to be treated in the same way. This respect from other people will enable them to further develop their self respect and ultimately build greater confidence within themselves.