You can’t build a tribe around nothing. Black Flag tattoos work because Black Flag owns rebellion. Fair trade coffee signals because Fair Trade owns ethics. Supreme drops create frenzy because Supreme owns authentic streetwear culture.

The moment you try to create tribal belonging without semantic content (the real concept or meaning behind something) underneath, the signal fails.

Everyone wants their product to become an identity marker. Almost no one asks what concept makes the identity marker meaningful.

The Arbitrary Signal Problem

Here’s what doesn’t work: deciding you want your product to be a tribal signal, then reverse-engineering identity markers to create that effect.

“Let’s create limited drops like Supreme.”

“Let’s write controversial blog posts like 37signals.”

“Let’s make our packaging Instagram-worthy.”

“Let’s position ourselves as the choice of people who get it.”

This fails because you’re trying to create the signal without the semantic content that makes signalling possible.

A Black Flag tattoo signals something because Black Flag stands for something. The tattoo is the visible marker, but it only works because there’s a concept underneath — rebellion, DIY ethos, anti-establishment stance, hardcore punk authenticity.

If Black Flag had no coherent meaning, if their music and culture didn’t represent anything specific, the tattoo would be meaningless decoration. You can’t signal membership in a tribe that has no unifying concept.

Same with Fair Trade coffee. The signal (choosing fair trade) works because Fair Trade has semantic content (ethical sourcing, farmer welfare, sustainability). Without that content, “fair trade” would just be marketing language with nothing underneath.

The tribal signal is the manifestation. The semantic content is the foundation. You can’t have the first without the second.

What Semantic Content Actually Is

Semantic content is the concept you own that gives the tribal signal its meaning.

It’s not:

• Your product category (“project management software”)
• Your features (“all-in-one collaboration”)
• Your benefits (“saves time”)
• Your brand attributes (“simple,” “powerful,” “innovative”)

It’s the noun (the concept) that your consistent decisions prove you own.

Field Notes doesn’t signal “I use nice notebooks.”

It signals “I value analog intentionality in a digital world.” That’s semantic content. Every decision Field Notes makes (paper quality, limited editions, size, aesthetic, distribution) proves that concept without claiming it.

Supreme doesn’t signal “I wear expensive streetwear.”

It signals “I’m part of authentic street culture, not commercial fashion.” That’s semantic content. The artificial scarcity, selective collaborations, no traditional advertising, limited distribution — every decision proves it.

37signals doesn’t signal “I use simple software.”

It signals “I control my work rather than being controlled by it.” That’s semantic content. Flat pricing, feature subtraction, no VC, self-hosting options, async-first tools — every decision proves it.

The semantic content is what makes the tribal signal viable. Without it, you’re just manufacturing scarcity or controversy or aesthetic. Empty gestures that don’t cohere into meaning.

The Mechanism vs. The Foundation

Here’s where companies get confused: they see successful products functioning as tribal signals and think that’s the cause of success.

“People buy Supreme to signal belonging.”

“People use 37signals to show they’re contrarian.”

“People display Field Notes to demonstrate taste.”

All true. But that’s describing the mechanism, not the foundation.

The tribal signalling is HOW the positioning manifests at the customer experience level. It’s not an alternative explanation. It’s the natural consequence of strong positioning.

When you own a concept through consistent decisions, people who value that concept find you. They become your tribe not because you manufactured tribal dynamics, but because they genuinely value what you actually deliver.

Then (and only then), using your product becomes a signal. A signal that says “I’m someone who values this concept.”

The person using Field Notes genuinely values analog intentionality. Yes, they also appreciate that using Field Notes signals that value to others. But the signal only works because Field Notes actually delivers on the concept.

The 37signals customer genuinely experiences more control over their work. Yes, they also appreciate being part of the tribe of people who “get it.” But the tribal belonging only works because 37signals actually gives them control.

You can’t separate the signalling from the substance. The substance makes the signalling possible.

Why Arbitrary Signals Fail

Companies that try to create tribal belonging without semantic content (position) fail in predictable ways:

The manufactured scarcity that backfires.

You see Supreme creating demand through limited drops and think, “We should do that too.” So you create artificial scarcity for your product. But your customers get frustrated. Why? Because Supreme’s scarcity proves their concept (authentic streetwear culture resists mass production). Your scarcity proves nothing. It’s just a tactic without semantic content underneath.

The controversial take feels forced.

You see 37signals getting attention through contrarian blog posts and think, “We should write hot takes too.” So you publish provocative opinions about your industry. But it feels performative, and nobody cares. Why? Because 37signals’ contrarianism proves their concept (independence, control, rejecting conventional wisdom). Your controversy is just noise.

The premium packaging that doesn’t land.

You see Field Notes creating beautiful, limited-edition notebooks and think, “We should make our packaging Instagram-worthy.” So you invest in aesthetic presentation. But customers don’t become evangelists. Why? Because Field Notes’ aesthetic proves their concept (craft and intentionality matter). Your aesthetic is just decoration.

The pattern: tactics without semantic content (position) underneath become empty gestures that customers see through immediately.

The Test of Semantic Content

Here’s how you know if you have semantic content or just manufacturing signals:

Remove all your marketing. Delete every claim. Strip away every piece of messaging. What’s left?

If what’s left is a pattern of decisions that all point to the same concept (if your product choices, your pricing, your partnerships, your design all prove something without stating it), then you have semantic content.

If what’s left is confusion, if the only thing holding your “positioning” together was the words you used to describe it, then you had marketing claims, not semantic content.

Supreme without any advertising is still authentic streetwear culture. Every structural decision proves it.

37signals without any blog posts or books still gives people control. Every product decision proves it.

Field Notes without any Instagram posts still embodies analog intentionality. Every design choice proves it.

That’s the test. Can your concept be understood purely through your decisions, or does it require your messaging to exist?

If it requires messaging, you don’t have semantic content. You have an aspiration, hoping to become a reality.

The Identity Question

Here’s another way to test for semantic content:

What identity does using your product enable or express?

Not “who is your target customer” (demographics). Not “what problem do you solve” (functionality). But what identity becomes possible when someone chooses you?

Using Supreme expresses: “I’m part of authentic street culture.”

Using 37signals expresses: “I control my work rather than adapting to chaos.”

Using Field Notes expresses: “I value craft and intentionality in a digital world.”

These aren’t demographic segments. They’re identity orientations. And they’re only possible because there’s semantic content underneath.

Now ask yourself: What identity does using your product/service express?

If you can’t answer that clearly, or if the answer is generic (“I’m smart,” “I’m successful,” “I care about quality”), you probably lack semantic content.

Strong semantic content enables specific, meaningful identity expression. Weak or absent semantic content enables only generic, aspirational identity claims.

Why This Matters for Building

Most companies approach this backward. They see identity-driven purchases in the market and think: “How do we get people to buy us for identity reasons?”

Wrong question.

Right question: “What concept do we own through consistent decisions that naturally enables identity expression?”

You don’t manufacture tribal belonging. You establish semantic content through decisions, and tribal belonging emerges naturally when people who value that concept find you.

This changes everything about how you build:

Wrong approach: “Let’s create controversial content to build a following like 37signals.” Right approach: “What do we consistently stand for through our decisions? How can we deepen that?”

Wrong approach: “Let’s do limited drops to create scarcity like Supreme.” Right approach: “What concept would scarcity prove for us? Does that match what we actually deliver?”

Wrong approach: “Let’s make our product aesthetically distinct so people want to display it.” Right approach: “What does our aesthetic prove about what we value? Is that consistent with everything else we do?”

The semantic content must come first. The tribal dynamics follow naturally from that foundation.

The Long Game

Here’s what companies miss: semantic content isn’t built through campaigns or launches. It’s built through years of consistent decisions that all point to the same concept.

Black Flag didn’t become meaningful to punk culture through a single album. They became meaningful through consistent choices about music, distribution, aesthetic, values — all pointing to the same concept over time.

37signals didn’t establish control as their concept through a single product launch. They established it through 25 years of decisions about pricing, features, business model, content, hiring, structure — all pointing to the same concept.

Supreme didn’t own authentic streetwear culture through a single collaboration. They owned it through decades of choices about scarcity, partnerships, distribution, aesthetic — all pointing to the same concept.

Semantic content emerges from consistency over time. There’s no shortcut.

This is why copying tactics fails. You see the tribal signalling (the surface) and try to replicate it. But you haven’t done the years of consistent decisions (the foundation) that made that signalling possible. You can’t manufacture in six months what took someone else ten years to build through unwavering consistency.

What To Do About This

If you’re realizing you lack semantic content (position), here’s where to start:

First, stop trying to manufacture tribal belonging. Stop looking at successful identity-driven brands and trying to copy their surface tactics. You’re seeing the outcome, not the process.

Second, audit your decisions for consistency. Look at your last 20 significant decisions: product features, pricing changes, partnerships, marketing choices, and hiring decisions. Do they point to the same concept? Or are they scattered across multiple directions? If they’re scattered, you don’t have semantic content yet. You have tactical opportunism dressed as strategy.

Third, ask what you’re proving, not what you’re claiming. For every decision you make, ask: “What does this prove about what we value?” Not “What does this let us claim?” but “What does this demonstrate through action?” If you can’t answer that clearly, or if the answer keeps changing, you’re not building semantic content.

Fourth, commit to a concept through decisions, not messaging. Pick the concept you want to own. Don’t announce it. Don’t put it in your tagline. Don’t make it your positioning statement. Instead, make every decision for the next two years, and prove it. Product decisions. Pricing decisions. Partnership decisions. Hiring decisions. Distribution decisions. If you do that consistently, semantic content will emerge. And when semantic content exists, tribal belonging becomes possible.

But you can’t skip the foundation and jump to the belonging. That’s not how any of this works.

Finally

You can’t build a tribe around nothing.

The tribal signal only works if there’s semantic content underneath. The belonging only matters if there’s something to belong to. The identity expression only has meaning if there’s a concept being expressed.

Black Flag tattoos work because Black Flag owns rebellion. Fair Trade coffee signals because Fair Trade owns ethics. Supreme drops create frenzy because Supreme owns authentic streetwear culture. 37signals builds tribes because 37signals owns control.

The semantic content came first.
The tribal dynamics followed.

Stop trying to manufacture the dynamics.
Start building the content (position).

Make decisions that consistently prove what you value. Keep making those decisions for years. Eventually, people who value that thing will find you. They’ll recognize what you’ve built. They’ll choose you not just for function but for identity.

That’s when tribal belonging emerges. Not before.

The question isn’t “How do we become an identity marker?”

The question is “What do we consistently prove through decisions that make identity expression possible?”

Answer that through action, not messaging.

Then watch what happens.