The Art of Capitalizing on a Trend
In January I wrote about the fervor that took over the internet with the introduction of “The Child” aka Baby Yoda in the TV show The Mandalorian. Since then we have seen a Baby Jabba the Hutt thanks to an artist’s 3D interpretation, and during the Super Bowl, we were introduced to Baby Mr. Peanut.
While I am all for riding a trend, there are certain considerations to determine if it is right for your organization and how to make it meaningful to your audience. Introducing a baby character for the sake of it doesn’t always work and can in fact backfire. So what are the decision criteria?
The most important question is asking whether the trend has a tangible connection to your mission or brand. Killing off Mr. Peanut to make room for Baby Nut caused quite a stir, and while we often hear “more coverage means more awareness,” it is important to understand the impact, as that increase in awareness could result in alienating older fans in favor of new ones.
In today’s experience economy, meeting people where they are is the name of the game to attract newer audiences, but your organization cannot grow if you are losing as many (or more) of your loyal supporters in the process. In the Star Wars universe, Yoda lived a long and fruitful life, and while the Child is from the same species, he isn’t a replacement where fans are concerned in the way the original Mr. Peanut was retired to make room for Baby Nut.
The lesson here is to ensure that your efforts to innovate and attract new supporters don’t come at the expense of your current and longtime loyal supporters.
Loved hearing from Sue and wondering how she could help your organization create a culture of innovation ?
