Case Studies | Marketing | Newsjacking | Advertising | Best Practices | Fanocracy
Some companies are so focused on telling customers how to enjoy their products and services and art, they miss the fan-made culture that has blossomed around them.
That happened with the Cracker Barrel, and the top-down decision to revise the company logo.
Many people in the past week have called Cracker Barrel out for the misstep. I’d like to dig a little deeper into why people rebelled against the new logo.
In the past, marketing departments were charged with being the voice of the customer. The company was always in control of the message, and agency was taken away from the consumer.
With online communities and public forums, this is no longer the case. If marketing professionals cling to the old ways by charging themselves with being the voice of the customer, they miss what really matters to their fans.
Why is genuine insight so hard to get?
Just think about how the layers of policy and formality distract from how readers or users or consumers—fans—really react to your products and services. The true voices of the people who care the most about the creations are lost somewhere behind company jargon and PR.
According to its press releases, Cracker Barrel is “the beloved restaurant and retail brand known for serving up more than a meal.”
When consumers love a product, service, or work of art like the do with Cracker Barrel, then they own the relationship. They’re fans.
For example, Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling, in a now famous interview after the series concluded, announced that her character Dumbledore was gay. “If I’d known it would make you so happy, I would have announced it years ago!” she said. However, it’s interesting that she didn’t make that obvious in her books. My daughter Reiko, who is a huge Harry Potter fan, didn’t notice any clues slipped in to allow readers to fully understand her character in that light. Instead, she acted as if her defense were more meaningful than her words on the page.
Fandom is built on the experiences of all its members, rather than limited to the imagination of one creator.
Brands need to learn how to let go
Letting go of your creations is a technique that we can use in all businesses and professions to build a fandom, because fan ownership of ideas is a powerful tool to spread the work.
The professional also gains the most valuable feedback process ever created—the ability to see what their creation looks like from someone who has lived a completely different life.
Deepen your understanding of your own work by seeing it for what it means to a fan.
Parts of this blog post were written by my daughter Reiko Scott and appeared in our book Fanocracy.
Top image and logos via Cracker Barrel 
