(Ed Rush) – Another Thanksgiving is in the bag. I hope your day was full of the good stuff — rest, reflection, and, hopefully, an absurd amount of good food. My Thanksgiving? A win if you ask me. A little turkey…a little family…watching the Giants run out the clock (Fly Eagles Fly!)…and then I’m asleep on my favorite (Frasier) recliner. Besides turkey and the fam, another one of my (and JoJo’s) favorite Thanksgiving traditions is time-traveling back to childhood and watching the 1973 classic, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.
No matter how old I get, watching Snoopy and Woodstock live their best animal lives, and Charlie Brown’s never-ending struggle to kick Lucy’s football never gets old.
If you’ve ever watched Peanuts, you know the familiar scene: Lucy baits Charlie Brown with success and glory by punting a football. Full of hope, Charlie lines up to kick the football, only for Lucy to pull it away at the last second, sending him flying and falling flat on his face. No matter how many times Lucy betrays his trust by moving the ball, Charlie keeps coming back for more. Poor Chuck!
This Charlie Brown and Lucy scene had me thinking about the latest Jaguar bomb-of-an-ad and the topic of my soapbox rant (with some free advice) in this week’s Flight Brief.
If you haven’t seen the ruckus online, check out the Fox Business article here about Jaguar’s latest branding blunder that’s tarnished its 102-year legacy.
I have to admit, my turkey-filled tummy is in knots over this. Not because I’m a diehard Jaguar fan or against creatively reaching new customers, but because I can’t stand seeing companies lose touch and abandon their loyal supporters. These are the customers who have been ride-or-die for years, who identify with the brand’s ideals and love its products. And then, out of nowhere, the company pulls a “Lucy”—completely shifting its direction, changing the message and the values, and leaving their most devoted customers behind. It’s like, “Hey, I thought we were in this together!” But nope, as far as the company is concerned, you’re just another wallet that didn’t see the rug being pulled out from under you.
Classic Lucy move.
We’re consistently seeing a trend of companies choosing golf-clap-popularity over authenticity, compromising the values they were founded on, and sacrificing their loyal and good-paying following to appeal to pop culture. That’s not how good business works. Companies like Jaguar are finding out very quickly just how dangerous pulling “Lucys” on their customers can be.
Just ask the folks at Bud Light.
Here’s a pro tip to stay out of the pop culture fray: Stay in touch with your customers, and they will stay with you. Successful brands don’t sacrifice their authenticity to please everyone. Instead, they learn to understand the changing needs of their key audience, build loyal, engaged communities that believe in what the brand stands for, and then lather, rinse, repeat. Staying focused on your brand’s authentic values, purpose, and relationship with your customers will build a base that believes in your mission, supports your brand, and sticks with you for the long haul. And trust me, customers aren’t as gullible as Charlie Brown. Move the football and break their trust once, and they’re not coming back for more.
As the honorable and authentic leader you are, keep building a brand that stands the test of time. Attract loyal customers because your company reflects consistency in its values, produces great products or services, and fosters genuine connections with people. Keep following this model, and you could end up replacing the Targets and Jaguars of the world (and the world would be a better place if you did).
Just saying.
I recently talked with one of the execs at GM about how to resurrect their brand. I told him to hire the Marlboro Man as their new CEO, drop EV (for now), focus on creating a great new C9 Corvette and a HUUUGE new truck. After all, their business grew on the American working man. Why not cater to them?
And it’s not a “man thing” either…it’s a market thing. I would recommend the same to Target. Just flip the gender. Hire Martha Stewart as CEO—or her daughter or whatever.
You get the idea. Focus on your market and forget the rest.
This is true for your brand and mine too for that matter. My best customer is a spiritually connected, heart-conscious entrepreneur who wants to change the world. My most heavy detractors (i.e. critics) are uber-conservative religious people who think God stopped speaking in 70 AD.
The “Jaguar way” would be to try to please the latter crowd.
Nah.
I’ll just double down on connecting with good people like YOU.
Mr. Rush is a 5-time #1 Best Selling Author. He’s written books on peak performance, consulting, business success, productivity, and even a book for Christian men. His books have been featured on CBS, FOX, ABC, and NBC and in many local outlets.