Community Isn't a Marketing Tactic. It's the Product.

I didn't expect Mahjong to become such a big part of my life.

Like a lot of people, I was curious because it looked fun. The colorful tiles, the strategy, the challenge of learning something completely new - it was enough to get me through the door. My grandmother played for 50 years and I wanted to see what drew her into the obsession.

But somewhere between learning how to Charleston and finally getting my first Mahjong, I realized something.

I wasn't coming back because of the game - I was coming back because of the people.

Every week I found myself looking forward to seeing familiar faces, meeting new ones, laughing over terrible tile draws, celebrating big wins, and helping beginners figure out why they absolutely should not throw that tile. Before long, our conversations had very little to do with Mahjong. We talk about our kids, our jobs, vacations, health scares, career changes, and everything in between.

The tiles simply gave us a reason to gather. The more I thought about it, the more I realized this isn't really a story about Mahjong.

It's a story about community.

As someone who's spent more than 20 years in communications and marketing, I've watched brands pour enormous amounts of time and money into building audiences. We obsess over impressions, engagement rates, followers, clicks, and algorithms. We celebrate viral moments and dashboard metrics.

But somewhere along the way, I think we forgot what people are actually looking for.

They want to belong.

The timing of Mahjong's resurgence isn't an accident.

According to PBS NewsHour, searches for Mahjong clubs and lessons have increased by more than 4,000%, while Eventbrite has reported a 179% increase in Mahjong events over the past year. Researchers and journalists have pointed to the same reason over and over again: people are craving opportunities to connect in real life. After years of remote work, endless scrolling, and increasingly digital relationships, sitting around a table for three hours talking, laughing, and learning together feels almost revolutionary.

That aligns with something much bigger.

In 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General declared loneliness a public health epidemic, noting that the health effects of prolonged social isolation are comparable to smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day. It's a staggering statistic, but I don't think it's surprising. We've never been more connected digitally, yet many people have never felt more disconnected personally.

Maybe that's why Mahjong is having such a moment.

Yes, it's a fantastic game. But if we're honest, most people aren't playing weekly (or multiple times a week) because they finally completed a difficult hand; they're coming back because someone saved them a seat.

That idea kept bringing me back to something Brian Solis once wrote:

"Community is much more than belonging to something. It's about doing something together that makes belonging matter."

That quote perfectly captures what I've experienced around the Mahjong table - and, honestly, what I've seen throughout my career.

The strongest brands I've worked with weren't the ones with the biggest advertising budgets or the loudest campaigns. They were the ones that created spaces where people felt seen, understood, and connected to something bigger than a product. They built relationships before they built loyalty.

There's an important difference between building an audience and building a community.

An audience consumes your content.

A community contributes to it.

An audience watches.

A community participates.

An audience can disappear the moment an algorithm changes.

A community follows you because they feel like they belong.

That's a much harder thing to build, but it's also infinitely more valuable.

Whether it's a neighborhood Mahjong group, a healthcare advocacy organization, or a global brand, the principle is exactly the same. People stay where they feel connected. They return to places where they're known. They invite others into experiences that made them feel welcome.

The game just happens to be the reason everyone showed up. The community is why they keep coming back.

Maybe that's the real lesson - not just for Mahjong players, but for marketers, communicators, and anyone trying to build something meaningful.

Stop asking, "How do we reach more people?" Start asking, "How do we help the people who are already here feel like they belong?"

Because products can be copied. Campaigns come and go. Algorithms will always change (basically on the daily!).

But community?

That's something people carry with them long after the game is over.