By Bill Coletti, CEO, Kith
Critical Takeaways
- Kith are the peer group that affects and influences the opinions and attitudes that we all hold.
- First movers are viewed as fringe – but joined by others they create what is next.
We’ve all heard of the social experiment where one person stands on a street corner and stared up at something in the sky.
When alone, nobody joined the person looking upwards. But when a small group of people began looking upwards, passersby all joined and looked up as well.
Whether you call it groupthink or societal pressure, there is an undeniable bond of being included in a group of likeminded or like-acting people.
Your kith is similar, but taken to a much deeper level. When people talk about “kith and kin,” they are referring to one’s family (kin) and the peer group that an individual associates with (kith). While we are all individuals with our own thoughts and reasoning, we tend to gravitate towards other individuals that share the same values and interests as us.
Kith defines who is in the group, where are they looking, what are they looking for, why the are looking and how they are going about looking. To return to the experiment mentioned above, we may all look upwards, but we do so in groups where we are with people looking for the same thing.
- What are you looking for?
- Who are you looking with?
- Whose guidance do you look to when you begin looking?
It is with this understanding that we are able to create inventive strategies to communicate with these kiths, especially during critical moments. We believe that the goals of great companies can match the expectations of communities, customers and critics. When those expectations match the beliefs of those around us – the power of influential friends can create real power.
Who is your kith?
