“Nike was one of the behemoths that started thinking of itself first and foremost as a manufacturer of brand, not of product. [...] This process connected the users to its values, and filled their desire to be part of a tribe, a circle of belonging.”
“[You are being] charged a premium for products that are less about the object themselves than about the profound human desired to be part of a tribe, a circle of belonging”
“When kids lined up all night o buy $250 Nike sneakers, they weren’t exactly buying the sneakers; they were buying the idea of justdoit...”
Lauren Greenfield
Are we buying products—or the identity and tribe they promise us?
How much of what we pay for is tied to belonging, status, or cultural narrative rather than the object itself?
When desire drives consumption, are we shaping our choices—or letting brands shape who we want to be?