Community is the New Currency for Growing Companies. Period.

If you want to know what fuels the world’s most successful brands, look beyond their products. Look beyond their advertising. Look at their communities.

As Pat Hanlon explains in Primal Branding, brands that endure don’t just sell things — they build belief systems. They give people something to belong to, something to rally around, and something to carry with pride.

That’s why community is the new currency for growing companies. Period.

Communities Build Brands Bigger Than Products

Think about Harley-Davidson. They don’t just sell motorcycles. They sell identity. Riders buy the bikes, the leather jackets, the patches. They join HOG (the Harley Owners Group). They ride together, travel together, and stop at Harley dealerships like they’re sacred ground. Harley isn’t just a company — it’s a tribe.

The same is true of Apple. Every time a new iPhone drops, people line up outside stores like they’re waiting for a concert. Why? Because Apple isn’t just selling a device — it’s selling membership in a global community of believers in innovation, design, and status.

And then there’s Disney. Entire families, and yes, “Disney adults,” plan pilgrimages year after year. They don’t just go for the rides — they go for the experience of belonging. They buy the pins, the hats, the clothes, the churros. They share it online, reinforce it in real life, and make Disney less of a theme park and more of a shared cultural language.

These brands thrive not because of what they make, but because of what they’ve made possible: community.

Why Community Is the New Currency

Here’s the truth: products can be copied. Campaigns can be outspent. Technology evolves overnight. But community? That’s untouchable.

Community creates:

Loyalty: Customers who don’t just return, but advocate.

Trust: A belief system reinforced by peers, not just ads.

Growth: Word-of-mouth that scales faster than any media buy.

Resilience: Even in downturns, communities rally to support their brands.

In short: community is the moat that competitors can’t cross.

How Growing Companies Can Build Community

You don’t need Apple’s budget or Disney’s empire to create a community. You need intentionality.

Clarify your belief system. What do you stand for? What’s your “Primal Code”?

Create symbols and rituals. Harley has jackets. Disney has pins. What’s your community signal?

Give people a role. Communities thrive when customers become participants, not just consumers.

Tell stories. Not about features, but about shared values and impact.

Be consistent. Communities grow when your message, actions, and experiences align over time.

Community. Period.

At Morris Hoeft Group, we believe the future of growth isn’t built on bigger ad budgets or flashier tech. It’s built on communities that connect head and heart — where people feel they belong to something bigger than a purchase.

Community is the new currency for growing companies. Period.