A few months ago, I wrote about tribes and how the best brands don’t find customers — they build communities.
I didn’t expect to immediately become a case study.
Here’s what happened.

A few weeks ago, Instagram started serving me Diet Coke content. Not ads. Content.  Surgeons cracking open a can between procedures. Surfers with a cold one after a session. Women in silk robes pouring Diet Coke over ice like it was a sacred morning ritual. (Side note: I am a Diet Coke lover — fountain Diet Coke specifically. My tribe found me, and I found my tribe.)

I watched all of it. I engaged with all of it.

Then I copied links and sent so many pieces to my dear friend — a fellow Diet Coke devotee. I shared and shared and shared. We proceeded to laugh, agree aggressively, and drink more Diet Coke together over text.

That’s when it hit me: I’m in a tribe. And not just any tribe — my tribe. The Diet Coke tribe found me, and I found them right back.

No one at Coca-Cola planned this. There’s no brief that says “activate the surgeon-surfer-silk robe demographic.” This is organic. Spontaneous. Self-sustaining.

Diet Coke lovers found each other, created their own rituals, and started spreading the gospel — for free.

Speaking of rituals: the entire internet agrees (correctly) that the best Diet Coke is fountain Diet Coke. And the best fountain Diet Coke? McDonald’s. This is not up for debate. The tribe has spoken. And they started delivering research. McDonalds could/should now jump on this trend/tribe and declare what makes their Diet Coke better than all others. Spill a few secrets and leave a few cliff hangers. People debated syrup, ice, and even straws (side note again– all these elements matter).

That shared belief — that specific, almost tribal knowledge — is what makes this community so powerful. It’s an inside joke that millions of people are in on.

The most dangerous thing you can do in marketing right now is try to appeal to everyone.

The smartest thing? Find the people who already believe what you believe — and give them a flag to rally around.

Tribes don’t need you to manufacture loyalty. They bring it. What they need is a ritual, a shared identity, and a reason to keep showing up.

That could be a product. A philosophy. A very strong opinion about where to get fountain soda.

The brands winning right now aren’t louder. They’re more specific. They’ve stopped broadcasting and started belonging.

Who is your Diet Coke person? What do your best customers obsess over, laugh about, and text to their friends at 11pm?

Find that. Build around that. Feed that community until it feeds itself.

Your marketing budget will thank you. Your CAC (customer acquisition cost — what you spend to win each new customer) will thank you. And honestly — so will your customers.

Find your tribe. Start one. Your wallet will thank you.